//v 


H- 


^  ?<^^3©<^^^5 


9  ^ 


PRINCETON,  N.   J. 


'  Part  of  the 

X       ADDISON  ALEXANDER  LIBRARY,       ♦ 
which  was  presented  by  ^ 

Mkssus.  R.  L.  and  a.  Stitart. 


=^::i-jwf' — r:-^,  t.-, 


>9e<! 


I         Case, 


Division. ..ii.54 
Secti#n..:J;;Xj[.| 


Book, 


7.S.... 


No,.. 


:ci^^^- 


v.a 


NOTES, 


CRITICAL     AND     PRACTICAL 


OS  THE  BOOK  or 


EXODUS; 


DESIGNED    AS    A    GENERAL    HELP    TO 


BIBLICAL    READING    AND    INS  TRUC  TIU  JS 


By    GEORGE    BUSH, 

FltOr.   OF   HEB.    AND    ORIENT.    LIT.   N.   Y.    CITY   UNIVERSITY. 


IN    TWO   VOLUMES. 
VOL..  II. 


NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED  BY  NEWMAN  AND  IVISON, 

199  Broadway. 

CINCINNATI :  MOORE  &  ANDERSON.    AUBURN  :  J.  C.  IVISON  &  CO 
CHICAGO  :  S.  C.  GRIGGS  &  CO  DETROIT  :  A.  McFARREN. 

1852 


Entered 
According  lo  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1841,  by 

GEORGE      BUSH, 

[n  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 

New  York. 


STEREOTYPED  BY 

FRANCIS  F.   RIPLEY, 

No.  128  Fulton  Street,  N.  Y. 


THE    HEBREW    THEOCRACY. 


(introductory  to  chapters  XXI. — XXIII.) 

The  portion  of  the  Book  of  Exodus  comprised  in  chapters  21,  22,  and  23,  con- 
tains the  record  of  Avhat  God  spake  to  Moses,  when  he  *  drew  near  to  the  thick 
darkness,'  after  the  people  had  retired  from  their  close  vicinity  to  the  sacred 
mount.  The  contents  of  these  chapters  relate  for  the  most  part  to  the  judicial 
or  political  regulations  which  God  was  pleased  to  enact  for  his  people,  with  the 
occasional  intermixture  of  precepts  pertaining  to  the  system  of  worship.  But 
in  order  to  convey  an  adsi|uate  idea  of  this  department  of  the  Pentateuch,  it 
will  be  proper  to  present  to  the  reader  a  compendious  view  of  the  peculiar  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  polity  of  the  Hebrews,  reserving  to  our  subsequent  notes,  as 
occasion  may  require,  a  more  detailed  exhibition  of  its  several  distinguishing 
features. 

The  form  of  government  which  prevailed  among  the  descendants  of  Abraham, 
prior  to  the  time  of  Moses,  was  the  patriarchal.  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
governed  their  respective  families  in  virtue  of  that  paternal  authority  which  was, 
in  the  early  ages  of  the  world,  universally  conceded  to  the  fathers  and  heads  ol 
households.  The  families  thus  governed  were  the  natural  germs  oiti-ibes,  every 
one  of  which  obeyed  its  ownjp?-ince  (ii'^ffiD  nasi),  who  was  originally  the  first- 
born of  the  founder  of  the  tribe,  but  in  progress  of  time  appears  to  have  been 
elected.  In  proportion  as  the  numbers  of  the  tribes  were  augmented  their  heads 
ox  patriarchs  became  powerful  chieftains,  and  under  the  title  of^  princes,  elders, 
and  heads  of  tribes,  answered  very  nearly  to  the  sheikhs  and  emirs  of  the  Bedouin 
Arabs  and  other  nomade  races  of  modern  times  spread  over  the  regions  of  the 
East. 

Such  was  the  form  of  the  primitive  social  organization  of  the  chosen  people. 
But  after  the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  when  they  were  to  be  set  apart,  and  des- 
tined to  the  great  object  of  preserving  and  transmitting  the  true  religion,  God 
saw  fit  to  bestow  upon  them  a  new  civil  and  religious  polity  wisely  adapted  to 
the  purposes  which,  as  a  nation,  they  were  intended  to  subserve.  Of  these,  one 
of  the  principal  undoubtedly  was,  to  keep  alive  the  grand  fundamental  truth,  that 
there  is  but  one  living  and  true  God,  and  that  he  only  is  to  be  worshipped  and 
adored,  loved  and  obeyed.  With  a  view  to  this  a  peculiar  constitution  was 
adopted,  familiarly  known  as  the  Theocracy  ;  according  to  which  God  became 
the  temporal  king  and  supreme  civil  magistrate  of  the  nation.  Not  that  it  w^as 
possible  for  Jehovah  to  sink  his  character  of  Lord  and  Master  of  the  universe  in 
his  capacity  as  civil  ruler  of  the  Hebrews.  He  was  still,  as  Creator  and  Judge, 
the  God  of  each  individual  Israelite,  as  he  is  the  God  of  each  individual  Christian ; 
but  he  moreover  sustained,  both  to  every  individual  Israelite,  and  to  the  whole 
collective  body  of  the  Israelitish  nation,  the  additional  relation  of  temporal  sove- 
reign.   In  this  character  he  solemnly  proffered  himself  to  the  people  at  Mount 


4  THE  HEBREW  THEOCRACY. 

Sinai,  and  in  this  character  he  was,  with  equal  soleninity,  accepted  by  their 
united  voice,  Ex.  19.  4 — 8.  This  polity  was  doubtless  adopted  with  the  design 
that  the  obedience  which  they  rendered  him  as  King  might  become  in  some 
measure  identified  with  the  reverence  due  to  him  as  God  ;  as  while  they  yielded 
the  former,  they  would  be  less  likely  to  withhold  the  latter.  And  it  is  to  be 
noticed,  that  it  was  not  till  after  the  transaction  recorded  Ex.  19.  7 — 9,  in  which 
God  was  recognised  in  his  character  oi  immediate  Ruler  of  that  people,  that  he 
proceeded  to  promulgate  from  the  clouds  of  Mount  Sinai  the  system  of  laws  and 
ordinances  designed  for  them  as  a  religious  community.  In  this  system,  how- 
ever, the  moral  code  of  the  Decalogue,  which  was  both  uttered  and  recorded  in  a 
difierent  manner  from  the  rest,  is  to  be  considered  as  given,  not  in  his  character 
of  national  king  of  the  Israelites,  but  in  that  of  the  Creator  and  Lawgiver  of  the 
universe.  A  like  distinction  is  occasionally  to  be  made  elsewhere  ;  but  it  is 
clear  that  in  the  chapters  before  us  nearly  every  ordinance  and  statute  can  be  re- 
ferred to  some  one  of  the  ten  commandments,  and  is  to  be  considered  as  merely 
a  developement  of  its  sense  and  spirit.  Yet  as  they  are  termed  emphatically 
'judgments,'  they  undoubtedly  belonged  more  especially  to  the  cu'iV  government, 
and  formed  a  kind  of  common  law,  very  analogous  to  the  common  law  of  other 
lands,  having  respect  to  matters  at  issue  between  man  and  man,  which  became 
the  subject  o[  judicial  decision.  Though  of  a  teraporal  character  in  themselves, 
they  still  involved  moral  considerations,  and  were  for  the  most  part  based  upon 
some  express  precept  of  the  Decalogue. 

Since  then  the  Jewish  polity  was  strictly  a  Theocracy,  in  which  Jehovah  ap- 
peared as  the  immediate  sovereign  and  the  people  of  Israel  as  his  immediate 
subjects,  this  relation  would  naturally  give  rise  to  certain  important  results,  in 
the  administration  of  that  economy,  which  well  deserve  our  notice.  In  the  first 
place,  no  authority  was  vested,  by  the  Mosaic  constitution,  in  any  one  man  or 
body  men,  nor  even  in  the  whole  nation  assembled,  to  make  new  laws  or  alter 
old  ones  ;  their  sovereign  Jehovah  reserving  this  power  exclusively  to  himself. 
On  the  same  grounds,  the  Hebrew  constitution  recognized  no  one  hereditary 
chief  magistrate,  nor  gave  any  power,  even  to  the  whole  nation,  to  elect  a  su- 
preme governor.  It  was  the  especial  prerogative  of  Jehovah  to  appoint  whom- 
soever he  pleased  to  preside  over  the  people  under  the  title  o{  judge,  as  his  own 
immediate  vicegerent.  And  such  men,  we  know,  were  from  time  to  time  raised 
up  as  the  exigencies  of  the  state  required  them,  and,  under  a  special  commission 
from  heaven,  wrought  the  most  signal  deliverances  for  their  countrymen. 

Another  important  consequence  of  the  Theocratic  polity  was,  that  idolatry  be- 
came  not  only  the  transgression  of  a  moral  precept  of  most  aggravated  character, 
but  also  an  act  of  treason  against  the  state.  It  was  a  virtual  rejection  of  the 
authority  of  their  acknowledged  Ruler.  It  was  a  breach  of  the  original  com- 
pact, an  open  rebellion  against  God,  a  positive  casting  off  of  sworn  allegiance, 
and  therefore,  on  the  established  principles  of  all  governments,  justly  meriting 
capital  punishment.  We  are  not  to  be  surprised,  therefore,  to  find  idolatry,  with 
witchcraft,  magic,  necromancy,  and  other  kindred  practices  connected  with  it, 
treated  as  a  crime  equal  to  that  of  murder,  and  subjecting  all  those  who  were 
guilty  of  committing  or  abetting  it,  to  the  utmost  penalty  of  the  law.  The 
punishment  of  an  idolatrous  city  was  the  irrevocable  ban  or  anathema  called 


THE  HEBREW  THEOCRACY.  5 

fi'^rt  herem,  followed  by  complete  destruction,  Lev.  19.  31  ;  20.  6.  Deut.  17,2 — 
6.  Nay,  so  strict  was  the  prohibition  on  this  subject,  that  the  inciter  to  idolatry 
was  never  to  be  pardoned,  even  though  he  should  claim  the  character  of  a  prophet, 
and  utter  predictions  which  should  be  exactly  fulfilled,  Deut.  13.2 — 12.  The 
nearest  relations  and  the  dearest  friends  were  to  be  delivered  up  to  just  punish- 
ment if  they  enticed  to  idolatry  ;  and  the  accuser,  as  the  first  witness,  was  re- 
quired to  cast  the  first  stone  at  the  convicted  traitor.  Even  a  foreigner  who 
dwelt  among  the  Hebrews,  could  not  be  exempted  from  capital  punishment  if  he 
practised  idolatry  himself,  or  tempted  others  to  practise  it ;  for  by  so  doing  he 
became  a  rebel,  and  a  leader  of  rebellion,  against  the  king,  and  against  the  whole 
civil  government. 

Again,  if  it  be  admitted  that  God  sustained  the  character  of  temporal  prince  and 
legislator  to  the  Israelites,  nothing  is  more  natural  than  that  what  may  be  termed 
the  civil  or  political  laws  enacted  by  him  in  that  character  should  be  enforced 
by  temporal  sanctions.  Accordingly,  as  it  is  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  rewards 
and  punishments  annexed  to  the  Jewish  civil  code  were  mainly  temporal,  we  find 
in  this  view  of  the  subject  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the  fact.  The  absence  in 
the  books  of  Moses  of  any  very  explicit  notice  of  the  future  existence  of  the  soul, 
or  of  a  future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments,  has  indeed  afforded  ground  of 
cavil  to  the  skeptic,  but  there  is  certainly  something  inconsistent  in  the  position, 
that  God  acted  as  the  temporal  sovereign  of  Israel,  and  yet  that  while  thus  act- 
ing he  administered  the  laws  of  the  land,  not  by  the  sanction  of  temporal  re- 
wards and  punishments  in  this  world,  but  by  the  sanction  of  future  rewards  and 
punishments  in  another  world.  Accordingly,  any  one  has  only  to  turn  to  the 
declarations  of  the  law  itself  in  Deut.  11.  26 — 28  ;  28.  1 — 45,  to  be  convinced  that 
such  is  not  the  character  of  its  sanctions. 

It  is  not,  however,  to  be  inferred  from  this,  as  Warburton  has  done,  that  the 
fact  of  a  future  existence,  and  of  future  rewards  and  punishments,  was  unknown 
either  to  Moses  or  to  the  nation  of  Israel.  Although  the  doctrine  of  future  retri- 
bution is  taught  rather  by  incidental  reference  than  by  authoritative  declaration, 
yet  the  evidence  that  it  was  known  and  believed  under  the  Mosaic  economy  is 
abundant  and  conclusive,  as  has  been  shown  by  Graves  (Lect.  on  the  Penta- 
tefjch),  Faber  (on  the  Three  Dispensations),  and  others.  Certain  it  is,  that  we 
cannot  suppose  the  nation  of  Israel  to  have  enjoyed  less  of  the  revelation  of  a 
future  state  than  the  patriarchs  from  whom  they  were  descended,  and  of  these 
the  Apostle  expressly  assures  us,  that  'they  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the 
promises,  but  having  seen  them  afar  off",  and  were  persuaded  of  them,  and  con- 
fessed that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth,  seeking  and  desiring  a 
better  country,  even  an  heavenly.'  But  the  main  purpose  for  which  the  Jewish 
economy  was  established  did  not  require,  that  any  other  than  temporal  sanctions 
should  be  explicitly  propounded  under  it.  The  laws  of  the  Theocracy  were  to  be 
enforced  by  an  extraordinary  providence,  and  in  accordance  with  this,  the  grand 
motives  placed  before  the  Hebrews  to  pursue  the  good  and  to  avoid  the  evil  were 
those  which  were  derived  from  the  benefits  and  calamities,  the  rewards  and  pun- 
ishments  of  this  life.  The  distinct  and  prominent  exhibition  of  the  doctrme  of 
future  awards  was  reserved  for  the  developements  of  that  more  spiritual  system, 


6  THE  HEBREW  THEOCRACY. 

which  we  enjoy  in  the  gospel  of  Him  who  'has  brought  life  and  immortality  to 
light.' 

Once  more,  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  in  conformity  with  the  peculiar  genius  ol 
that  polity,  and  in  order  that  the  Hebrews  might  have  their  relation  to  God  kept 
constantly  before  their  eyes,  the  Most  High,  as  their  King,  caused  a  royal  tent 
to  be  erected  in  the  centre  of  the  encampment,  where  the  pavilions  of  all  kings 
and  chiefs  were  usually  erected,  and  to  be  fitted  up  with  all  the  splendor  of  roy- 
alty, as  a  moveable  palace.  It  Avas  divided  into  three  apartments,  in  the  inner- 
most  of  which  was  the  royal  throne,  supported  by  golden  cherubs  ;  and  the  foot 
stool  of  the  throne,  a  gilded  ark  containing  the  tables  of  the  law,  the  Magna 
Charta  of  church  and  state.  In  the  ante-room  a  gilded  table  was  spread  with 
bread  and  wine,  as  the  royal  table,  and  precious  incense  was  burned.  The  exte- 
rior room  or  court,  might  be  considered  the  royal  culinary  apartment,  and  there 
music  was  performed,  like  the  music  at  the  festive  tables  of  eastern  monarchs. 
(Lev.  21.  6,  S,  17.  Num.  28.  2.  Deut.  23.  4.  Ezek.  44.  7.)  God  made  choice 
of  the  Levites  for  his  courtiers,  state-officers,  and  palace  guards  ;  and  Aaron  for 
the  chief  officer  of  the  court  and  first  minister  of  state.  For  the  maintenance  of 
these  officers,  he  assigned  one  of  the  tithes  which  the  Hebrews  were  to  pay  as 
rent  for  the  use  of  the  land.  He  finally  required  all  the  Hebrew  males,  of  a  suit* 
able  age,  to  repair  to  his  palace  every  year,  on  the  three  great  annual  festivals, 
with  presents,  to  render  homage  to  their  king;  and  as  these  days  of  renewing 
their  homage  were  to  be  celebrated  with  festivity  and  joy,  the  second  tithe  was 
expended  in  providing  the  entertainments  necessary  for  those  occasions.  In 
short,  every  religious  duty  was  made  a  matter  of  political  obligation  ;  and  all 
the  civil  regulations,  even  the  most  minute,  were  so  founded  upon  the  relation  of 
the  people  to  God,  and  so  interwoven  with  their  religious  duties,  that  the  He- 
brew could  not  separate  his  God  and  his  king,  and  in  every  law  was  reminded 
equally  of  both.  Consequently  the  nation,  so  long  as  it  had  a  national  exist- 
ence, could  not  entirely  lose  the  knowledge,  or  discontinue  the  worship  of  the 
true  God.  The  succeeding  notes  will  show  that  this  view  of  the  drift  and  design 
of  this  remarkable  structure  is  by  no  means  inconsistent  with  its  having  been 
framed  throughout  with  a  typical  import,  and  designed  to  shadow  forth  the  lead- 
ing spiritual  mysteries  of  the  gospel.  But  that  it  actually  sustained  the  character 
here  ascribed  to  it,  we  think  there  can  be  no  doubt. 


THE  BOOK  OF  EXODUS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


NOW  these  are  the  judgments 
which  thou  shalt  a  set  before 
them. 

a  ch.  24.  3,  4.    Deut.  4. 14.  &  6.  1. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

This  and  the  two  following  chapters 
contain  the  record  of  what  God  spake 
to  Moses  when  he  ^  drew  near  to  the 
thick  darkness,'  after  the  people  had 
retired  from  their  close  vicinity  to  the 
sacred  mount.  Their  contents  relate, 
for  the  most  part,  to  the  judicial  or  po- 
litical regulations  which  God,  as  the 
Theocratical  sovereign  of  the  chosen 
people,  was  pleased  now  to  enact  and 
impose  upon  them.  These  'judgments,' 
however,  though  in  themselves  mainly 
of  a  temporal  character,  having  respect 
to  matters  between  man  and  man,  which 
might  become  the  subject  oi  judicial 
decision,  still  involved  moral  consider- 
ations, and  were  in  fact  based  upon  some 
one  or  other  of  the  express  precepts  of 
the  Decalogue.  They  are,  therefore, 
very  properly  introduced  in  this  con- 
nexion, immediately  after  the  moral 
code,  to  which  they  have  continual 
reference.  In  our  estimate  of  the  polity 
of  which  these  laws  form  a  part,  we 
must  have  regard  to  the  circumstances 
of  the  people,  and  the  period  for  whic|;i 
they  were  designed,  and  though  we  may 
admit  that  it  would  be  very  possible 
for  God  to  have  given  a  code  intrinsic- 
ally more  excellent  and  holy,  yet  we 
shall  be  ready  to  conclude  that  no  bet- 
ter one  could  have  been  given  in  the 
then  circumstances  of  the  Jewish  race. 

1.  These  are  the  judgments,  &c.  Heb. 
t'^'D5'ia?3  mishpotim;  from  t35TZ3  sha- 
phatf  to  judge,  Sind  here  signifying  the 


2  b  If  thou  buy  an  Hebrew  ser- 
vant, six  years  he  shall  serve :  and 

b  Lev.  25.  39,  40,  41.    Deut.  15.  12.    Jer. 
34. 14. 

statutes,  judicial  laws,  or  rules  ofjudg' 
ment,  by  which  their  civil  government 
was  to  be  conducted,  and  according  to 
which  the  magistrates  were  to  give 
judgment  in  disputed  cases  or  differ- 
ences arising  between  man  and  man. 
Gr.  SiKaioifxaTa,  just  judgments.  As 
their  government  was  a  Theocracy, 
their  entire  legislation  was  from  God. 
No  part  of  their  code,  whether  civil  or 
ecclesiastical,  originated  with  them- 
selves, or  was  left  to  be  modified  by 
the  dictates  of  human  prudence. 

Laws  respecting  Servants. 
2.  If  thou  buy  an  Hebrew  servant, 
&c.  Heb.  ropn  ^'D  ki  tikneh,  when 
thou  shalt  purchase,  procure,  acquire; 
a  term  of  which  the  general  import  is 
that  of  acquisition  or  possession  in 
whatever  manner  obtained.  See  Notes 
on  Gen.  4.  1.— 14.  19.  The  following 
instances  of  the  use  of  the  term  will  go 
to  show  that  its  sense  is  modified  by 
the  subjects  to  which  it  is  applied,  and 
that  it  does  not  by  any  means  necessa- 
rily convey  the  idea  of  Hebrew  serv- 
ants' being  bought  and  sold  as  goods 
and  chattels,  as  they  are  under  the  sj'^s- 
tem  of  modern  slavery,  especially  in 
our  own  country.  Eve  said,  Gen.  4.  1, 
'I  have  gotten  (in'^^p  kanithi)  a  man 
from  the  Lord.'  And  she  accordingly 
named  him  Cain  (y^pkayin),  that  is, 
gotten,  acquired.  Prov.  15.  32,  'He  that 
heareth  reproof  getteth  (illlp  koneh) 
understanding.'    Is.  11. 11,  'The  Lord 


8 


EXODUS. 


[B.  G.  1491. 


m  the  seventh  he  shall  go  out  free 


for  nothing. 


shall  set  his  hand  again  to  recover 
(tllip^  liknoth)  the  remnant  of  his  peo- 
ple/ Ps,  78.  54,  'He  brought  them  to 
this  mountain  which  his  right  hand  had 
purchased  (HWp  kanethah)J  Neh.  5. 
8,  '  We  of  our  ability  have  redeemed 
(l^'^^p  kaninu)  our  brethren  the  Jews, 
that  were  sold  unto  the  heathen.'  Prov. 
8.  22,  '  The  Lord  possessed  me  C^^jp 
kanani)  in  the  beginning  of  his  way.' 
Here,  as  the  service  among  the  He- 
brews was  for  the  most  part  voluntary, 
the  'buying  an  Hebrew  servant'  may  as 
legitimately  imply  the  buying  him  from 
himself  y  that  is,  buying  his  services,  as 
any  other  mode  of  purchase.  Indeed, 
as  there  is  no  positive  proof  that  He- 
brew servants  were  ever  made  such  or 
kept  in  that  condition  by  force,  against 
their  own  consent,  except  as  a  punish- 
ment for  crime,  the  decided  presump- 
tion is,  that  such  is  the  kind  of 'buying' 
here  spoken  of.  As  to  the  term  "Ii3> 
abed,  servant,  it  comes  from  *1S2>  abad, 
to  serve,  which  is  applied  variously  to 
the  serving  of  worshippers,  of  tributa- 
ries, of  domestics,  of  Levites,  of  sons 
to  a  father,  of  subjects  to  a  ruler,  of 
hirelings,  of  soldiers,  of  public  officers, 
&c.  With  similar  latitude,  the  deriva- 
tive noun  is  applied  to  all  persons  doing 
service  for  others,  irrespective  of  the 
ground  or  principle  on  which  that  service 
was  rendered.  Accordingly  it  embraces 
in  its  range  of  application,  tributaries, 
worshippers,  domestics,  subjects  of  gov- 
ernment,  magistrates,  public  officers, 
younger  sons,  prophets,  kings,  and  the 
Messiah  himself.  To  interpret  it  'slave,' 
or  to  argue,  from  the  fact  of  the  word's 
being  used  to  designate  domestic  serv- 
ants, that  they  were  made  servants  by 
force,  worked  without  pay,  and  held  as 
articles  of  property,  would  be  a  gross 
and  gratuitous  assumption.  The  mean- 
ing of  the  present  passage  undoubtedly 
is,  '  If  thou  dost  in  any  way  become 


3  If  he  came  in  by  himself,  he 
shall  go  out  by  himself:  if  he  were 


possessed  of  a  brother  Hebrew,  so  as 
to  have  a  right  to  command  his  services 
(in  consequence  of  which  right  alone 
he  becomes  a  'servant'),  retain  him  not 
in  a  state  of  servitude  more  that  six 

years.' IT  In  the  seventh  year.    In 

what  sense  'the  seventh  year'  is  to  be 
understood  here  is  not  obvious ;  whether 
as  the  sabbatical  year,  in  which  the 
land  lay  fallow,  or  as  the  seventh  year 
from  the  time  when  the  servant  was 
bought.  Maimonides  was  of  the  latter 
opinion,  and  this  appears  on  the  whole 
the  most  probable  ;  for  Moses  uniform- 
ly calls  it '  the  seventh  year,'  without 
using  the  term  'sabbatical  year,'  or  ap- 
parently at  all  alluding  to  it.  And  be- 
sides, when  he  describes  the  sabbatical 
year  in  Lev.  25.  1 — 7,  he  says  nothing 
about  the  manumission  of  servants.  Yet 
it  is  to  be  presumed  that  if  the  jubilee 
year  should  occur  before  the  six  years' 
service  had  expired,  his  manumission 
would  take  place  of  course  in  virtue  of 
the   general   law,  Lev.  25.  40,  unless 

he  had    been    sold    for  a  crime. 

IT  He  shall  go  out  free  for  nothing. 
That  is,  without  being  required  to  pay 
his  master  any  thing  as  a  consideration 
for  the  shortened  term  of  service.  Be- 
ing made  free  by  law  he  was  to  pay 
nothing  for  his  liberty.  Nor  was  he 
required  to  pay  for  any  thing  else.  Al- 
though he  might  during  the  period  of 
his  service  have  labored  under  sickness, 
and  put  his  master  to  cost,  yet  no  com- 
pensation was  to  be  expected  from  him 
at  the  time  of  his  release  ;  for  a  man's 
servant  was  during  his  servitude  as  his 
own  possession  for  which  he  was  bound 
to  provide  at  his  o'wn  charges.  —  One 
cannot  but  be  struck  with  admiration 
at  perceiving  what  kind  provisions  were 
made  for  the  Hebrew  bondman;  how 
carefully  he  was  guarded  from  vio- 
lence, injustice,  and  wrong.  The  cir- 
cumstances imder  which  a  native  He« 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


married,  then  his  wife  shall  go  out 
with  him. 

4  If  his  master  have  given  him  a 
wife,  and  she  have  borne  him  sons 

brew  might  become  a  slave  were  the 
following;  (1.)  When  under  the  pres- 
sure of  extreme  poverty  he  sold  his 
liberty  to  preserve  himself  or  his  fam- 
ily from  suffering  ;  Lev.  25.  39,  'If  thy 
brother  be  waxen  poor  and  be  sold  unto 
thee,'  &c.  (2.)  When  sold  for  a  like 
reason  by  a  lather  ;  v.  7,  'If  a  man  sell 
his  daughter  to  be  a  maid-servant,'  &c. 
Comp.  Neh.  5.  5.  (3.)  Insolvent  debt- 
ors might,  as  a  punishment,  be  sold  for 
servants,  or,  by  way  of  payment,  put  into 
the  hands  of  their  creditors  as  slaves ; 
2  Kings,  4.  1,  'My  husband  is  dead — 
and  the  creditor  is  come  to  take  unto 
him  my  tv/o  sons  to  be  bondmen.'  (4.) 
A  thief  who  was  unable  to  make  resti- 
tution for  what  he  had  stolen,  accord- 
ing to  the  proportion  required  of  him 
by  the  law,  was  sold  by  way  of  re- 
quital to  him  whom  he  had  robbed  ; 
Ex.  22.  3,  4,  '  If  he  have  nothing,  then 
he  shall  be  sold  for  his  theft.'  (5.) 
Slaves  were  acquired  by  the  issue  of 
the  marriages  of  slaves.  The  condition 
of  slavery,  however,  is  undoubtedly  re- 
garded in  the  Scriptures  as  an  evil,  yet, 
as  it  was  an  evil  that  had  prevailed  in 
the  world  long  before  the  establishment 
of  the  Jewish  polity,  infinite  wisdom 
did  not  see  fit  at  once  to  root  it  out,  but 
enacted  such  meliorating  laws  in  re- 
spect to  it  as  would  tend  to  divest  it 
of  its  most  aggravated  and  cruel  fea- 
tures, and  render  it  as  tolerable  as  a 
state  of  bondage  could  well  be.  In  like 
manner  he  regulated  without  extirpat- 
ing polygamy. 

3,  4.  If  he  came  in  by  himself.  Heb. 
15313  begappo,  loith  his  body.  That  is, 
with  his  body  only ;  in  his  single  per- 
son ;  having  neither  wife  nor  children. 
Gr.  avTOi  f-tovos,  him,self  alone.  It  is 
evidently  used  in  contradistinction  to 
the  being  married  in  the  next  clause. 


or  daughters,  the  wife  and  her 
children  shall  be  her  master's,  and 
he  shall  go  out  by  himself. 

If  a  free-born  Hebrew,  who  had  sold 
himself  for  a  bondman,  had  previously 
had  a  wife,  this  relation  was  not  dis- 
turbed by  his  servitude,  at  the  expira- 
tion  of  which  her  freedom  was  to  be  re- 
stored along  with  her  husband's.  But 
a  different  case  is  supposed  in  the  next 
verse.  There  the  marriage  is  one  that 
takes  place  during  the  continuance  of 
the  servitude,  and  seems  to  be  of  the 
same  nature  with  the  '  contubernium,' 
cohabitation,  of  the  Romans,  which,  in- 
stead of  '  conjugium,'  wedlock,  was  the 
term  applied  to  the  marriages  of  slaves. 
A  master  gave  his  servant  a  Avife  dur- 
ing the  period  of  his  service,  but  re- 
tained her  and  her  children  after  he  re- 
gained his  liberty,  the  connexion  being 
of  course  dissolved  by  a  divorce.  But 
it  is  generally  maintained  by  commen- 
tators, that  the  wife  thus  given  was  to 
be  a  heathen  or  Gentile  bond-maid,  and 
not  a  Hebrewess,  which  they  gathered 
from  Lev.  25.  44,  'Both  thy  bondmen 
and  thy  bondmaids,  which  thou  shalt 
have,  shall  be  of  the  heathen  that  are 
round  about  thee  ;  of  them  shall  ye  buy 
bondmen  and  bondmaids.'  This  pas- 
sage, however,  does  not  of  itself  make 
it  certain  that  such  was  the  case,  al- 
though the  idea  is  undoubtedly  coun- 
tenanced by  v.  7 — 11,  of  the  chapter  be- 
fore us,  which  would  seem  to  intimate 
that  if  a  Jewish  woman  were  given  in 
marriage  at  all,  it  must  be  to  her  master 
or  his  son.  Moreover,  as  it  appears 
from  Deut.  15,  12,  that  Hebrew  bond- 
men and  bondmaids  came  under  the 
same  law  of  manumission  at  the  end  of 
six  years,  we  cannot  perceive  on  what 
lawful  grounds  such  a  wife,  if  of  the 
Hebrew  stock,  should  be  detained  in 
servitude  after  the  close  of  the  allotted 
time.  The  Jewish  critics  adopt  the 
same  view.  The  children  produced  fron? 


10 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149V 


5  c  And  if  the  servant  shall  plain- 
ly say,  I  love  my  master,  my  wife, 
and  my  children;  I  will  not  go  out 
free : 

6  Then  his  master  shall  bring  him 

c  Deut.  15.  16,  17. 

.^,uch  a  contuhernium  were  regarded  as 
rteing  also  slaves,  and  constituted  the 
class  called  'born  in  the  house,'  Gen. 
14.  14. — 17.  23;  'sons  of  the  house,' 
Gen.  15.  3;  or  'sons  of  the  handmaid,' 
Ex.  23.  12.  Of  those  Abraham  had 
318;  and  as  it  might  naturally  be  sup- 
posed that  servants  thus  forming  a  part 
of  the  household,  and  imbibing  attach- 
ments to  their  master  from  their  earliest 
years,  would  he  more  deserving  of  con- 
fidence than  strangers,  he  puts  arms  in- 
to their  hands,  when  his  service  required 
it ;  a  measure,  by  the  way,  entirely  in- 
consistent with  the  genius  of  American 
slaveholding,  which  will  not  admit  of 
masters'  putting  swords  or  fire-arms 
into  the  hands  of  their  slaves. 

5,  6.  And  if  the  servant  shall  plainly 
say,  &c.  Heb.  ^?3i^*  1>2i4  amar  yo- 
mar,  saying  shall  say.  That  is,  shall 
say  it  again  and  again,  so  that  his  pur- 
pose shall  become  a  matter  of  notori- 
ety. This  is  intimated  in  order  that 
there  might  be  evidence  of  such  an  in- 
tention being  in  the  highest  degree  volun- 
tary and  unconstrained. IT  Then  his 

master  shall  bring  him  unto  the  judges. 
Heb.  D^n^Jtri  ^5^  el  ha-Elohim,  to  the 
gods.  That  is,  to  the  magistrates,  who 
are  called  'gods,'  Ps.  82,  1,  6.  John, 
10.  34,  35.  Chal.  'Before  the  judges.' 
Gr.  npog  TO  KpcT}]piov  tov  Qeov,  to  the 
judgment,  or  tribunal,  of  God.  The 
phraseology  is  remarkable,  but  the  pre- 
valent sentiments  of  the  Orientals  in 
regard  to  sovereignty  of  all  sorts  tend 
to  illustrate  it.  The  Egyptians,  ac- 
cording to  Diodorus  Siculus  (B.  I.  c. 
90), looked  upon  their  kings  in  the  light 
of  divinities ;  and  from  the  travels  of 
Arvieux  we  learn  that  among  the  mod- 
ern Arabs  the  usual  form  of  citation. 


unto   the   d judges:  he   shall  also 
bring  him  to  the  door,  or  unto  the 
door-post ;    and   his   master   shall 
e  bore  his  ear  through  with  an  awl 
and  he  shall  serve  him  for  ever. 

d  ch.  12.  12.  &  22.  8,28.     e  Ps.  40.  6. 


when  one  is  summoned  to  the  place  of 
justice  is  in  these  words,  'Thou  art  in- 
vited to  the  tribunal  of  God.''  It  would 
seem  that  they  regarded  a  judge  or  ma- 
gistrate in  the  administration  of  justice 
as  such  a  lively  image  of  the  Deity  that 
they  were  led  to  apply  to  him  in  that 
capacity  a  divine  title. — It  is  easily 
conceivable  that  a  servant,  who  had  a 
good  master,  might  wish  to  remain  with 
him  permanently  during  life,  particu- 
larly if  he  had  lived  in  contubernio 
Avith  one  of  his  master's  female  slaves 
and  had  children  by  her,  for  whom  he 
would  naturally  cherisli  a  strong  affec- 
tion, and  from  whom  he  must  separate 
if  he  accepted  his  freedom.  In  such  a 
case  he  was  permitted  to  bind  himself 
forever  to  the  service  of  the  master ; 
but  in  order  to  guard  against  all  abuse 
of  this  permission,  and  especially  that 
it  might  appear  that  he  was  not  fraudu- 
lently or  forcibly  detained  against  his 
will,  it  Avas  ordained  that  the  trans- 
action should  be  gone  about  judicially, 
and  with  appropriate  formalities.  For 
this  purpose,  after  being  brought  before 
the  magistrate,  and  declaration  probably 
made  of  his  intention,  he  was  taken  back 
and  his  ear  bored  through  with  an  awl  at 
the  door  of  his  master's  house,  in  token  of 
his  being,  as  it  were,  affixed  to  it  hence- 
forward the  rest  of  his  days.  This  bor- 
ing of  ears  was  in  the  eastern  countries, 
a  badge  of  servitude.  Thus  Juv.  Sat.  1 
102,  'Why  should  I  fear  or  doubt  to  de- 
fend the  place,  though  born  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates  as  the  tender 
perforations  in  my  ear  evince?'  upon 
which  the  ancient  scholiast  remarks, 
'  that  this  was  a  sign  of  slavery.'  It  is 
supposed  that  the  Psalmist,  Ps.  40.  6, 
speaking    in  the   person    of  the  Mes- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


11 


siah  alludes  to  this  custom;  'Mine  ear 
hast  thou  opened.'  Heb.  '  dug,  pierced 
through  ;'  expressive  of  his  entire  devo- 
tion  to  his  father's  service.  Michaelis 
remarks,  -That  this  statute  of  Moses 
made  boring  the  ears  in  some  degree 
ignominious  to  a  free  man  ;  because  it 
became  the  sign  whereby  a  perpetual 
slave  was  to  be  known,  and  that  for 
this  reason  he  would  have  been  very 
glad  to  have  procured  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  practice  of  servants'  thus 
permanently  adopting  a  state  of  vassal- 
age.'  IT  He  shall  serve  him  for  ever. 

That  is,  as  long  as  he  or  his  master 
lived.  Some  make  it  to  be  till  the 
period  of  the  next  ensuing  jubilee,  but 
the  other  sense  is  probably  more  cor- 
rect. Thus,  1  Sam,  1.  22,  'That  he  may 
appear  before  the  Lord,  and  thus  abide 
forever^'  i.  e.  as  long  as  he  lives.  This 
will  appear  still  more  evident  by  sup- 
posing a  case  that  might  easily  have 
happened.  A  slave  was  sold  three  years 
before  the  beginning  of  the  jubilee. 
What  was  to  be  done  with  him  at  the 
expiration  of  that  time  ?  If  he  were 
then  released  by  the  law  of  the  jubilee, 
how  was  it  possible  for  him  to  serve 
the  six  years  here  prescribed  in  the 
law?  This  brings  us  to  so  palpable  an 
inconsistency  in  the  law,  that  we  are 
on  the  whole  forced  to  the  conviction 
that  the  regulation  before  us  had  no  re- 
spect whatever  to  the  jubilee.  Let  the 
grand  object  of  that  institution  be  con- 
sidered. It  was,  that  every  man  might 
'  return  to  his  possession' — which  could 
not  be  alienated  for  a  longer  time — and 
to  his  family  ;  Lev.  25.  10 — 24.  But  it 
does  not  appear  that  the  privilege  ex- 
tended alike  to  every  class  of  servants. 
A  difference  would  naturally  be  made 
between  the  case  of  one  made  a  slave 
by  his  crimes,  and  one  who  became  such 
by  his  misfortunes.  Consequently  the 
law  contained.  Lev.  25.  39 — 42,  seems 
to  have  no  reference  to  cases  like 
that  before  us  ;  '  And  if  thy  brother 
that  dwelleth  by  thee  be  waxen  poor,  [ 


and  be  sold  unto  thee ;  thou  shall  not 
compel  him  to  serve  as  a  bond-servant : 
But  as  an  hired  servant,  and  as  a  so- 
journer   he    shall    be    with    thee,    and 
shall  serve  thee  unto  the  year  of  jubi- 
lee  :  and  then  he  shall  depart  from  thee, 
both  he  and  his  cliildren  with  him,  and 
shall  return  unto  his  own  family,  and 
unto  the  possession  of  his  fathers  shall 
he  return.     For  they  are  my  servants 
which  I  brought  forth  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt ;    they  shall  not  be   sold  as 
bondmen.'     The  drift  of  the  enactment 
here  cited  is  entirely  different  from  that 
of  the  one  under  consideration.     The 
latter  speaks  of  one  who  was  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  Jewish  law  a  'bond- 
servant'  or   slave ;   the   former  of  one 
who  was  not  to  be  made  a  '  bond-serv- 
ant,' but  only  a   'hired-servant.'    The 
latter  relates  to  one  who  was  sold  for 
his  crimes;  the  former  to  one  who  dis- 
posed of  his  services  on  account  of  his 
poverty,  which  was  no  crime.  The  term 
of  servitude  appointed  by  the  law  before 
us  was  invariably  six  years;  the  period 
fixed  by  the  other  was  till  the  next  jubi' 
lee,  which  might  be  any  number  of  years 
from  one  to  fifty.    The  design  of  the 
law  in  Exodus,  in  ordaining  that  the 
thief  should  be  made  a   slave  for  six 
years,  was  that  he  might  thereby  be 
punished  for  his  crime,  and  that  the 
money   given    for    him    should    make 
some  compensation   to  the  person  he 
had  injured ;    while  the  object  of  the 
law  in  Leviticus  was  that  the  poor  man 
should  be  received  as  a  menial  into  an 
Israelitish  family,  not  to  punish  him, 
but  that  he  might  find  the  means  of 
comfortable  support  in  his  necessities. 
The  design  of  the  statute  giving  the 
slave  his  option,  at  the  end  of  six  years, 
either  to  leave  his  master  or  to  remain 
with  him  '  forever,'  could  not  possibly 
be  that  he  should  'return  to  his  own 
family  and  to  the  possession  of  his  fa- 
thers,' for  as  long  as  he  lived  in  bond- 
age he  could  not  do  this,  and  his  crime 
was  supposed  to  Jiave  cut  him  off  from 


12 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


7  H  And  if  a  man  ^sell  his  daugh- 
ter to  be  a  maid-servant,  he  shall 

f  Nch.  5.  5. 

the  right  to  his  paternal  estate.  But 
the  design  of  the  other  law  in  giving  the 
impoverished  hired-servant  his  liberty 
at  the  next  jubilee,  was  expressly  that 
he  might  return  to  his  family  and  again 
enjoy  his  patrimonial  inheritance.  As 
then  these  two  ordinances  appear  to  be 
entirely  distinct  from  and  unrelated  to 
each  other,  there  is  no  necessity  for 
interpreting  the  phrase  '  for  ever,'  as 
signifying  the  same  as  '  till  the  next 
jubilee.' 

1.  Jf  a  man  sell  his  daughter,  &c. 
We  must  still  bear  in  mind  what  has  • 
been  said  above  respecting  the  import 
o^ selling  persons  under  the  Mosaic  law. 
It  was  simply  equivalent  to  selling  07ie's 
services.  It  conveyed  no  ownership. 
It  did  not  recognise  the  odious  doctrine 
of  modern  slavery  that  a  man  may  be- 
come a  chattel,  and  be  held  and  treated 
simply  as  an  article  of  property.  So  in 
the  case  before  us,  a  father  might  be  re- 
duced to  such  an  extreme  of  poverty  as 
to  be  constrained  to  have  recourse  to 
the  measure  here  mentioned,  of  dispos- 
ing of  the  services  of  a  daughter,  when 
of  a  young  and  tender  age,  for  a  con- 
sideration. But  it  is  clear  from  the  con- 
text that  when  this  was  done,  it  was, 
usually  at  least,  upon  some  engagement 
or  expectation  that  the  person  who 
bought  her  would  take  her,  when  of 
age,  as  his  wife  or  concubine.  Her  pur- 
chase as  a  servant  was  her  betrothal  as 
a  wife.  This  is  confirmed  by  the  com- 
ment of  Maimonides,  who  says  ;  'A  He- 
brew handmaid  might  not  be  sold  but  to 
one  who  laid  himself  under  obligations 
to  espouse  her  to  himself  or  to  his  son, 
when  she  was  fit  to  be  betrothed.'  Jar- 
chi  also  on  the  same  passage  says,  'He 
is  bound  to  espouse  her  to  be  his  wife, 
for  the  money  of  her  purchase  is  the 
money  of  her  espousal.^  An  example 
of  this  selling  of  daughters  by  impover- 


not  go  out  g  as  the  men-servants 
do. 

S  ver.  2,  3. 

ished  parents  is  related  in  the  subse- 
quent history  of  the  Jews,  Neh.  5.  1 — 8 

IT  She  shall  not  go  out  as  the  men- 

serva7its  do.  That  is,  shall  not  go  out 
upon  the  same  conditions,  but  upon  bet- 
ter. She  shall  be  better  provided  for  at 
her  departure ;  inasmuch  as  a  feeble 
woman  is  less  able  to  protect  herself 
and  secure  her  own  welfare,  than  a 
strong  and  able-bodied  man.  There  is 
an  apparent  contradiction  between  this 
passage,  and  Deut,  15.  17,  where,  in 
speaking  of  the  male  servant's  having 
his  ear  bored  in  token  of  perpetual  serv- 
itude, it  is  said,  'And  also  unto  thy 
maid-servant  shalt  thou  do  likewise.' 
Michaelis  explains  this  by  supposing 
that  the  Hebrew  legislator,  alter  the 
lapse  of  forty  years,  made  an  alteration 
in  his  laws,  and  added  the  ordinance 
contained  in  Deuteronomy.  'He  did  not 
patronize  slavery ;  at  least  he  endeav- 
ored to  mitigate  its  evils  to  native  He- 
brews, and  to  confine  it  within  certain 
limits  of  duration.  On  their  departure 
from  Egypt,  he  did  so  with  respect  to 
males,  and  availing  himself  of  an  ancient 
and  merciful  usage,  which  terminated 
servitude  after  seven  years,  he  intro- 
duced it  by  a  written  statute,  as  an  in- 
controvertible right.  After  the  people 
had  been  accustomed  to  this  piece  of 
clemency,  he  went  a  step  farther  in  the 
law  which  he  gave  forty  years  after, 
and  established  the  very  same  ordinance 
in  behalf  of  females.'  But  Ave  think  it 
more  probable  that  there  was  originally 
a  difference  in  the  case  of  a  woman  sold 
for  theft,  or  who  had  sold  herself  be- 
cause of  her  poverty,  and  of  a  daughter 
sold  by  her  father,  in  expectation  of  her 
being  espoused  by  her  master  or  one  of 
his  sons.  In  this  last  case,  which  is 
the  one  here  considered,  she  would  be 
entitled  to  peculiar  tenderness,  and  pro- 
vision is  made  accordingly.    But  m  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


13 


8  If  she  please  not  her  master, 
■who  hath  betrothed  her  to  himself, 
then  shall  he  let  her  be  redeemed  : 

former,  which  seems  to  be  contemplated 
in  Deuteronomy,  she  was  to  come  un- 
der the  same  regulations  with  the  man- 
servant who  declined  going  out  free  at 
the  end  of  his  prescribed  term.  As  it 
is  perfectly  conceivable  that  a  woman 
might  be  influenced  by  the  same  motives 
as  a  man  to  remain  with  her  master,  and 
as  there  is  no  proof  that  such  was  not 
the  case,  we  think  this  the  most  natural 
mode  of  reconciling  the  apparent  dis- 
crepancy between  the  two  passages. 
However  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that 
in  the  time  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah  it 
was  conceived  that  the  statutes  which 
gave  freedom  to  the  Hebrew  slaves  in 
the  seventh  year,  extended  not  only  to 
the  male,  but  also  to  the  female  sex, 
Jer.  34.  9 — 16,  a  passage  which  may  be 
very  profitably  read  in  this  connexion. 

8.  If  she  please  not  her  master.  Heb. 
rr^njA  'iD'^S'n  «12?"1  tlJ^  m  raah  he-ain'e 
adoncha,  if  she  be  evil  in  the  eyes  of  her 
master  J  a  very  common  Hebraic  idiom, 
importing,  however,  not  moral  evil,  but 
rather  the  want  of  personal  attractions. 
'Good,'  in  like  manner,  is  in  repeated 
instances  used  in  a  sense  equivalent  to 
'goodly,'  or  as  an  attribute  of  the  outer 

man.      See  Note  on  Gen.  39.  6. 

If  Who  hath  betrothed  her  to  himself. 
As  if  the  purchase  under  these  circum- 
stances was  considered  as  a  virtual  be- 
trothal, so  that  no  other  formalities 
were  requisite.  But  it  is  to  be  noted 
that  the  original  presents  here  a  various 
reading,  in  which  our  translation  has 
Mbllowed  the  margin  (1^  lo,  to  him)  in- 
stead of  the  text  (i^^  lo,  not).  In  the 
one  case  the  correct  rendering  is, '  who 
doth  not  (^^^)  betroth  her ;'  in  the 
other,  'who  hath  betrothed  her  to  him- 
self (1^).'  Either  mode  of  reading 
yields  substantially  the  same  sense, 
only  in  the  latter  case  'betrothing'  signi- 
fies the  preliminary  engagement  or  affi- 

Vol..  TI.  2 


to  sell  her  unto  a  strange  nation  he 
shall  have  no  power,  seeing  he  hath 
dealt  deceitfully  with  her. 

anchig,  which  the  master  is  supposed 
to  have  entered  into  ;  in  the  former,  the 
actual  consummation  of  the  marriage- 
thai  is,  he  hath  not  acted  according 
to  the  mutual  understanding  of  the  par- 
ties ;  he  hath  not  fulfilled  expectation. 
In  doing  one  thing  he  hath  not  done  an- 
other which  was  virtually  implied  in  it. 
It  is  obvious  that  according  as  one  or 
the  other  of  these  senses  is  assumed, 
the  particle  employed  will  be  ifi^  lo, 
not,  or  1^  lo,  to  him.  The  Scriptures 
present  several  other  instances  of  the 
same  textual  diversity  of  reading,  on 
which  commentators  have  labored  with 
great  assiduity.  Of  these  an  ample  ac- 
count is  given  in  Vitringa's  Obs.  Sac. 

L.  in.  c.  14.  §  14 IT  Then  shall  he 

let  her  be  redeemed.  Heb.  m^H  heph- 
dah,  shall  cause  her  to  be  redeemed. 
Implying  not  merely  consent  to  the  act 
of  another,  but  positive  eflforts  on  his 
ov^n  part  to  effect  the  step  ;  he  shall  see 
to  her  being  redeemed;  i.  e.  by  her  fa- 
ther, or  any  of  her  kindred  who  has  a 
mind  so  to  do.  But  if  this  were  not 
done,  he  was  not  allowed  to  marry  her 
to  another  person,  or  to  a  'strange  na- 
tion,' a  phrase  which  has  usually  been 
understood  to  mean,  a  stranger  of  the 
Israelitish  nation,  one  of  a  different 
tribe  or  family,  because  it  is  supposed 
no  Hebrew  slave  could  be  sold  to  a 
Gentile.  But  we  see  not  why  the  literal 
rendering  may  not  be  adhered  to.  The 
Hebrew  master  must  not  sell  her  to  one 
of  another  nation,  who  might  desire  to 
have  her  as  a  concubine,  and  with  whom 
she  might  be  in  danger  of  forgetting 
the  true  religion.  It  was  an  ordinance 
by  which  the  highest  welfare  of  the 
individual  was  kindly  consulted. 
IT  Seeing  he  hath  dealt  deceitfully  with 
her.  Heb.  ,13  II^DD  be-bigdo  bah,  in 
his  deceitfully  treating  her,  i.  e.  as  a 
continuation    of  it.      Halving  wronged 


14 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


9  And  if  he  have  betrothed  her 
unto  his  son,  he  shall  deal  with 
her  after  the  manner  of  daughters. 

10  If  he  take  him  another  icife; 
her  food,  her  raiment,  hand  her  duty 
of  marriage  shall  he  not  diminish. 

11  And  if  he  do  not  these  three 
unto  her,  then  shall  she  go  out  free 
without  money. 

h  1  Cor.  7,  5. 


her  by  frustrating  her  hope  of  marriage 
in  his  own  family,  he  was  not  to  add 
one  injury  to  another  by  disposing  of 
her  in  a  foreign  connexion,  where  her 
principles  and  her  happiness  might  be 
alike  endangered. 

9,  10.  He  shall  deal  with  her  after  the 
manner  of  daughters.  That  is,  he  shall 
deal  with  her  as  a  free  woman  ;  shall 
give  her  a  dowry,  and  bestow  her  in 
marriage  as  if  she  had  been  his  own 
daughter.  But  whether  he  or  his  son 
had  married  her  and  then  afterwards 
taken  another  wife,  still  this  was  not 
to  operate  to  her  disadvantage.  She 
was  to  be  suitably  maintained,  and  her 
due  matrimonial  privileges  continued 
to  her,  or  else  she  was  freely  to  be  set 

at  liberty. IT  Her  duty  of  marriage. 

H-eb.  nn35>  anothah.  Gr.  rrjv  hniXiav 
avrrjg,  her  companying,  converse,  co- 
habitation, which  Paul,  1  Cor.  7.  3,  ex- 
presses by  the  phrase  of  'due  benevo- 
lence,' equivalent  to  conjugal  converse. 

IT  Shall  he  not  diminish.     Heb. 

5>'n5^  5^^  to  yigra,  shall  not  keep  back, 
as  the  term  is  rendered  Num.  9.  7,  'And 
those  men  said  unto  him.  We  are  de- 
filed by  the  dead  body  of  a  man :  where- 
fore are  we  kept  back  (3>'1!ID  niggara), 
that  we  may  not  offer  an  offering  of  the 
Lord  in  his  appointed  season  among 
the  children  of  Israel?'  The  Gr.  in  this 
place  has  ovk  a-!Toar£pr](Tei,  shall  not  de- 
fraud, whence  the  apostle  in  speaking 
of  the  same  subject,  1  Cor.  7.  5,  says, 
^Defraud  ye  not  one  another  (j.(r]  a-rroa- 
TtpciTc  a/\Ar?Xovj)  except  it  be  with  con- 
sent, &c.'    Gr.  'And  he  shall  not  de- 


12  ^  iHe  that  smiteth  a  man,  so 
that  he  die,  shall  be  surely  put  to 
death. 

13  And  k  if  a  man  lie  not  in  wait, 
but  God  1  deliver  /lim  into  his  hand ; 
then  m  I  will  appoint  thee  a  place 
whither  he  shall  flee. 

i  Gen.  9.  6.  Lev.  24.  17.  Numb.  35.  30,31. 
Matt.  26.  52.  k  Numb.  35.  22.  Deut.  19.  4,  5. 
1  1  Sam.  24.  4,  10,  18.  ni  Numb.  35.  11. 
Deut.  19.  3.    Josh.  20.  2. 


fraud  her  of  necessaries,  raiment,  and 
converse.'  Chal.  'And  her  nourishment, 
raiment,  and  communion  he  shall  not 
prohibit.'  Sam.  'And  her  habitation  he 
shall  not  take  away.'  Arab.  'And  her 
times  he  may  not  diminish.'  Syr.  'And 
conjugal  enjoyment  he  shall  not  lessen.' 

11.  If  he  do  not  these  three.  That  is, 
either  of  the  three   things  mentioned 

above,  v.  10. IT   Then  shall  she  go 

out  free  without  money.  Upon  coming 
to  marriageable  age,  if  the  master  nei- 
ther married  her  himself  nor  disposed 
of  her  otherwise,  he  was  not  only  to 
set  her  free  without  remuneration,  but 
also,  as  appears  from  Deut.  15.  12 — 17, 
to  furnish  her  liberally  with  gifts. 

Laws  respecting  Murder  and  Man- 
slaughter. 

12.  He  that  smiteth  a  man.  That  is, 
mortally,  as  is  evident  from  what  fol- 
lows, and  so  amounting  to  wilful  mur- 
der.   See  Note  on  Gen.  9.  6. IT  Shall 

be  surely  put  to  death.  Heb.  tl^l'^  m?a 
moth  yumath,  dying  shall  be  made  to 
die.  The  sentence  is  here  expressed  in 
the  most  emphatic  language,  implying 
that  no  ransom  was  to  be  taken  for  the 
life  of  the  wilful  murderer.  Num.  35. 
31,  'Ye  shall  take  no  satisfaction  for 
the  life  of  a  murderer,  which  is  guilty 
of  death  ;  but  he  shall  be  surely  put  to 
death.' 

13.  If  a  man  lie  not  in  wait.  Heb. 
mifc  Js^i  ^Vj^  asher  la  tzadah,  whoso 
hath  not  laid  in  wait.  That  is,  whoso 
hath  not  done  such  a  deed  premedi- 
tatelyj  who  hath  not  waylaid  another 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


15 


14  But  if  a  man  come  "  presump- 
tuously upon  his  neighbour,  to  slay 

n  Numb.  15.  30.  <fc  35.  20.     Deut.  10.  11, 12. 
Hebr.  10.  26. 

in  order  to  take  his  hfe.  The  original 
term  \11'2  tzadah  is  closely  related  to 
Tl!2  tzud,  to  hunt,  and  implies  that  in- 
sidious watching  which  hunters  prac- 
tice in  securing  their  game. IT  But 

God  deliver  him  into  his  hand.  Heb. 
TT^^  nD5*  innah  le-yado,  doth  offer  by 
chance  to  his  hand.  Gr.  TrapeScoKev,  hath 
delivered.  The  words  evidently  have 
respect  to  a  case  where  the  slayer  is 
not  prompted  by  malice,  nor  endeavors 
by  covert  means  to  put  to  death  a  fel- 
low being,  but  the  catastrophe  is  owing 
solely  to  the  special  providence  of  God, 
which  had  put  one  man  in  the  way  of  a 
deadly  blow  from  another  without  any 
agency  or  design  of  his.  This  consti- 
tutes what  is  called  in  modern  codes 
accidental  homicide  or  chance-medley, 
and  for  which,  under  the  Mosaic  sys- 
tem, there  was  an  express  provision  in 
the  cities  of  refuge,  hereafter  to  be  de- 
scribed. In  Deut.  19.  4 — 6,  we  have  by 
way  of  illustration  a  specified  case  in 
which  the  manslayer  was  to  be  entitled 
to  the  benefit  of  this  provision ;  'And 
this  is  the  case  of  the  slayer,  which 
shall  flee  thither,  that  he  may  live : 
Whoso  killeth  his  neighbor  ignorantly, 
whom  he  hated  not  in  time  past ;  as 
when  a  man  goeth  into  the  wood  with 
his  neighbor  to  hew  wood,  and  his  hand 
fetcheth  a  stroke  with  the  axe  to  cut 
down  the  tree,  and  the  head  slippeth 
from  the  helve,  and  lighteth  upon  his 
neighbor,  that  he  die  ;  he  shall  flee  unto 
one  of  these  cities,  and  live ;  lest  the 
avenger  of  the  blood  pursue  the  slayer, 
while  his  heart  is  hot,  and  overtake 
him,  because  the  way  is  long,  and  slay 
him ;  whereas  he  was  not  worthy  of 
death,  inasmuch  as  he  hated  him  not 

in  time  past.- H  I  will  appoint  thee 

a  place  whither  he  shall  flee.  This 
place,  during  the  sojourn  of  Israel  in 


him  with  guile;  o  thou  shalt  take 
him  from  mine  altar,  that  he  may 
die. 

o  1  Kings  2.  28,-34.    2  Kings  11.  15. 

the  wilderness,  was  the  tabernacle,  as 
appears  by  the  mention  of  the  altar  in 
V,  14 ;  but  after  their  arrival  in  the  land 
of  Canaan  there  were  six  cities  of  refuge 
appointed,  as  we  learn,  from  Num.  35. 
6,  et.  seq.  From  the  case  of  Joab,  1 
Kings,  2.  28,  it  would  appear  that  the 
temple  was  occasionally  resorted  to  for 
this  purpose  even  after  the  cities  of  re- 
fuge were  established. 

14.  If  a  man  come  presumptuously, 
&c.  Heb.  Ifi  yazid,  deal  proudly ,  pre- 
sumingly,  high-handedly.  Chal,  '  Shall 
do  or  act  impiously.'  The  Heb.  verb 
TiT  zud,  which  properly  signifies  to 
deal  proudly  or  presumptuously ,  is  ap- 
plied also  to  the  person  who  sins,  not 
ignorantly  or  inadvertently,  but  wilful- 
ly, knowingly,  of  set  purpose,  inasmuch 
as  such  an  offender  is  considered  as  dis- 
obeying the  known  law  of  God  through 
the  pride,  self-sufficiency,  dLnd presump- 
tuous elation  of  his  spirit.  According- 
ly Moses,  Deut.  17. 12  and  18.22,  speaks 
of  presumptuous  sins  under  the  deno- 
mination of  ']'nT  zadon,  which  comes 
from  the  same  root,  indicating  a  kind 
of  transgression  entirely  diff*erent  from 
sins  or  errors  of  ignorance,  inadvert- 
ence, or  infirmity.  Joab's  murder  of 
Abnei  comes  clearly  within  the  scope 
of  this  statute,  and  accordingly  we  find 
that  his  fleeing  to  the  sacred  asylum  of 
the  altar  availed  him  nothing.  2  Sam. 
2.  19— 23.— 3.  26,  27.    1  Kings,  2.  2&— 

32. TT  Thou  shalt  take  him  from  mine 

altar.  That  is,  if  he  has  fled  unto  the 
altar  for  protection.  But  the  Jerus. 
Targ.  gives  another  turn  to  the  expres- 
sion ;  'Though  he  be  the  High  Priest 
who  standeth  and  ministereth  before 
me,  from  thence  shall  ye  take  him  and 
kill  him.'  We  may  perhaps  safely  ad- 
mit that  both  senses  are  included.  It 
would  certainly  be  important  to  teach 


16 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


15  1[  And  he  that  smiteth  his  fa- 
ther, or  his  mother,  shall  be  surely 
put  to  death. 

16  H  And  p  he  that  stealeth  a  man, 

P  Deut.  24.  7. 


that  no  official  sanctity  would  be  allow- 
ed to  screen  the  Avilful  murderer  from 
justice. 

Law  respecting  the  Smiting  of  Parents. 

15.  He  that  smiteth  his  father  or 
mother,  &c.  He  was  to  be  put  to  death 
even  though  the  blow  should  not  be 
fatal,  but  merely  leave  a  wound  or 
bruise  ;  otherwise  the  crime  mentioned 
in  this  verse  is  included  in  that  speci- 
fied in  V.  12.  The  crime  of  parricide  is 
not  expressly  mentioned  in  the  code  of 
Moses,  any  more  than  it  was  in  that  of 
Solon,  and  probably  for  the  same  rea- 
son ;  the  law  did  not  presuppose  a  sin 
of  such  horrid  enormity. 

Law  respecting  Man-stealing. 

16.  He  that  stealeth  a  man,  &c.    Gr. 

OS    sap   KXtip'T]    Tig    Tiva   rwv    vicoi'    I/jjoa/jA, 

whosoever  stealeth  any  one  of  the  so7is 
of  Israel.  Chal.  'He  that  stealeth  a 
soul  of  the  soils  of  Israel.'  And  thus 
it  is  explained  by  Moses  himself,  Deut. 
24.  7,  'If  a  man  be  found  stealing  any 
of  his  brethren  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  maketh  merchandize  of  him,'  &c. 
This  was  no  doubt  the  primary  drift  of 
the  law.  It  had  respect  to  a  crime  com- 
mitted by  an  Israelite  upon  the  person 
of  an  Israelite.  For  this  crime  the 
punishment  of  death  was  expressly  de- 
nounced ;  and  that  with  the  utmost  de- 
gree of  rigor.  The  alleviations  which 
operated  in  the  case  of  other  thefts  was 
precluded  here.  In  other  cases,  if  the 
article  stolen  had  not  been  alienated,  or 
if  there  was  reason  to  look  for  repent- 
ance and  restitution,  some  mitigation 
of  the  punishment  ensued.  But  the  man- 
stealer  was  absolutely  doomed  to  die, 
whether  he  had  already  sold  the  person 
stolen,  or  whether  he  still  had  him  in 


and  q  selleth  him,  or  if  he  be  r  found 
in  his  hand,  he  shall  surely  be  put 
to  death. 

q  Gen.  37.  28.    r  ch.  22.  4. 

his  own  hands,  neither  alienated  nor 
used  for  service.  -Comp.  Deut.  24.  7. 
But  the  spirit  of  the  interdict  undoubt- 
edly applies  to  all  cases  of  man-stealing 
or  kidnapping.  In  the  sight  of  heaven 
it  is  a  crime  charged  with  the  blackest 
guilt.  This  is  clear  from  the  penalty 
annexed  to  it,  especially  as  contrasted 
with  the  penalty  for  stealing  property, 
Ex.  22.  14.  If  a  man  had  stolen  an  ox 
and  killed  or  sold  it,  he  was  to  restore 
five  oxen;  if  he  had  neither  sold  nor 
killed  it,  two  oxen.  But  in  the  case  of 
stealing  a  man,  the  first  act  drew  down 
the  utmost  power  of  punishment ;  how- 
ever often  repeated  or  aggravated  the 
crime,  human  penalty  could  do  no  more. 
The  fact  that  the  penalty  for  TTzan-steal- 
ing  was  death,  and  the  penalty  of  prop- 
ei-t y-stealing,  the  mere  restoration  of 
double,  shows  that  the  two  cases  were 
judged  on  totally  different  principles. 
This  will  appear  still  more  evident  from 
the  remarks  on  this  passage  by  Mr. 
Weld  in  his  tract  entitled  'The  Bible 
against  Slavery.'  '  If  God  permitted 
man  to  hold  man  as  property,  why  did 
he  punish  for  stealing  that  kind  of  prop- 
erty infinitely  more  than  for  stealing  any 
other  kind  of  property  ?  Why  -punish 
with  death  for  stealing  a  very  little  of 
that  sort  of  property,  and  make  a  mere 
fine  the  penalty  for  stealing  a  thousand 
times  as  much,  of  any  other  sort  of 
property — especially  if  by  his  own  act, 
God  had  annihilated  the  difference  be- 
tween man  and  property,  by  putting  him 
on  a  level  with  it  ?  The  guilt  of  a  crime, 
depends  much  upon  the  nature,  charac- 
ter, and  condition  of  the  victim.  To 
steal  is  a  crime,  whoever  the  thief,  or 
whatever  the  plunder.  To  steal  bread 
from  a  full  man,  is  theft ;  to  steal  it 
from  a  starving  man,  is  both  theft  and 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


17 


17  H  And  9  he  that  curseth  his  fa- 

s  Lev.  20.  9.    Prov.  20.  20.    Matt.  15.  4. 

Mark  7. 10. 

murder.  If  I  steal  my  neighbor's  prop- 
erty, the  crime  consists  not  in  altering 
the  nature  of  the  article,  but  in  taking 
as  mine  what  is  his.  But  when  I  take 
my  neighbor  himself,  and  first  make 
him  property,  and  then  my  property, 
the  latter  act,  which  was  the  sole  crime 
in  the  former  case,  dwindles  to  nothing. 
The  sin  in  stealing  a  man,  is  not  the 
transfer  from  its  owner  to  another  of  that 
which  is  already  property,  but  the  turn- 
ing of  personality  into  property.  True, 
the  attributes  of  man  remain,  but  the 
rights  and  immunities  which  grow  out 
of  them  are  annihilated.  It  is  the  first 
law  both  of  reason  and  revelation,  to  re- 
gard things  and  beings  as  they  are  ;  and 
the  sum  of  religion,  to  feel  and  act  to- 
ward them  according  to  their  value. 
Knowingly  to  treat  them  otherwise  is 
sin ;  and  the  degree  of  violence  done  to 
their  nature,  relations,  and  value,  mea- 
sures its  guilt.  When  things  are  sun- 
dered which  God  has  indissolubly  joined, 
or  confounded  in  one,  which  he  has  sep- 
arated by  infinite  extremes  ;  when  sa- 
cred and  eternal  distinctions,  are  de- 
rided and  set  at  nought,  then,  if  ever, 
sin  reddens  to  its  '  scarlet  dye.'  The 
sin  specified  in  the  passage,  is  that  of 
doing  violence  to  the  nature  of  a  man — 
to  his  intrinsic  value  as  a  rational  be- 
ing. In  the  verse  preceding  the  one 
under  consideration,  and  in  that  which 
follows,  the  same  principle  is  laid  down. 
Verse  15,  'He  that  smiteth  his  father 
or  his  mother  shall  surely  be  put  to 
death.'  Verse  17,  'He  that  curseth  his 
father  or  his  mother,  shall  surely  be 
put  to  death.'  If  a  Jew  smote  his  neigh- 
bor, the  law  merely  smote  him  in  re- 
turn j  but  if  the  blow  was  given  to  a 
parent,  it  struck  the  smiter  dead.  The 
parental  ralation  is  the  centre  of  human 
society.  God  guards  it  with  peculiar 
care.  To  violate  that,  is  to  violate  all. 
2* 


ther  or  his  mother,  shall  surely  be 
put  to  death. 
18  H  And  if  men  strive  together, 


Whoever  tramples  on  that,  shows  that 
no  relation  has  any  sacredness  in  his 
eyes — that  he  is  unfit  to  move  among 
human  relations  who  violates  one  so 
sacred  and  tender.  Therefore,  the  Mo- 
saic  law  uplifted  his  bleeding  corpse, 
and  brandished  the  ghastly  terror  around 
the  parental  relation  to  guard  it  from 
impious  inroads.  Why  such  a  differ- 
ence in  penalties,  for  the  same  act? 
Answer.  1.  The  relation  violated  was 
obvious — the  distinction  between  par- 
ents and  others  self-evident,  dictated  by 
a  law  of  nature.  2.  The  act  was  vio- 
lence to  nature — a  suicide  on  constitu- 
tional susceptibilities.  3.  The  parental 
relation  then,  as  now,  was  the  focal 
point  of  the  social  system,  and  required 
powerful  safe-guards.  'Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother,'  stands  at  the  head  of 
those  commands  which  prescribe  the 
duties  of  man  to  man ;  and  throughout 
the  Bible,  the  parental  state  is  God's 
favorite  illustration  of  his  own  relations 
to  the  human  family.  In  this  case, 
death  was  to  be  inflicted  not  for  smit- 
ing a  man,  but  a  parent — a  distinction 
made  sacred  by  God,  and  fortified  by  a 
bulwark  of  defence.  In  the  next  verse, 
'He  that  stealeth  a  man,'  &c.,  the  same 
PRINCIPLE  is  ^vrought  out  in  still  strong- 
er relief.  The  crime  to  be  punished 
with  death  was  not  the  taking  of  prop- 
erty from  its  owner,  but  violence  to  an 
immortal  nature,  the  blotting  out  of  a 
sacred  distinction — making  men  '  chat- 
tels.'  IT  And  selleth  him.    Jarchi,  in 

his  comment  on  this  stealing  and  mak- 
ing merchandize  of  men,  gives  the  mean- 
ing thus :  'Using  a  man  against  his  will, 
as  a  servant  lawfully  purchased ;  yea, 
though  he  should  use  his  services  ever 
so  little,  only  to  the  value  of  a  farthing, 
or  use  but  his  arm  to  lean  on  to  sup- 
port him,  if  he  be  forced  so  to  act  as  a 
servant,  the  person  compelling  him  but 


18 


EXODUS. 


[B.C.  1491. 


and  one  smite  another  with  a  stone, 
or  with  his  fist,  and  he  die  not,  but 
keepeth  his  bed : 

19  If  he  rise  again,  and  walk 
abroad  t  upon  his  staflf,  then  shall 
he  that  smote  him  be  quit :  only  he 

t  2  Sam.  3.  29. 

once  to  do  so,  shall  die  as  a  thief  whe- 
ther he  has  sold  him  or  not.W 

Law  respecting  the  Cursing  of  Parents. 

17.  He  that  curseth  his  father  or  his 
mother,  &c.  Heb.  ^^p^  mekallel,  from 
the  root  ^^p  kalal,  signifying  prima- 
rily to  make  light  of,  to  disparage,  and 
thence  in  Piel  to  utter  violent  reproaches, 
to  imprecate  evil,  to  curse.  The  denun- 
ciation undoubtedly  applies  to  him  who 
uses  light,  contemptuous,  or  opprobri- 
ous language  of  his  parents.  Thus  also 
Prov.  20.  20,  '  Whoso  curseth  (^^p)3 
mekallel)  his  father  or  his  mother,  his 
lamp  shall  be  put  out  in  obscure  dark- 
ness.' Such  a  conduct  subjected  the 
offender  to  capital  punishment,  because 
it  implied  the  utmost  degree  of  deprav- 
ity. He  who  could  break  the  bonds  of 
filial  reverence  and  duty  to  such  a  de- 
gree as  in  word  or  action  to  abuse  his 
own  parents,  clearly  evinced  thereby 
that  he  was  lost  to  all  goodness  and 
abandoned  to  all  wickedness. 

Law  respecting  injurious  Strife. 

18,  19.  If  men  strive  together,  &c. 
Heb.  '^D^l'^  yeribun,  from  the  root  ^Q'l'l 
rib,  applied  properly  to  verbal  strife, 
contention,  urangling;  just  that  kind  of 
angry  debate  which  is  apt  to  lead  to 
blows.    Accordingly  the  Gr.  renders  it, 

eav    Xniiufjcovrai    6vo    ay^pe^,   if  tU'O  men 

reproach.  The  law  evidently  has  re- 
spect to  a  case  where  two  men  begin 
with  a  quarrel  of  words,  and  proceed  to 
blows,  either  with  the  fists  or  such.wea- 
pons  as  come  readily  to  hand.  Pro- 
vided the  injury  was  not  fatal,  no  fur- 
ther punishment  was  inflicted  on  the 
injurer  than  that  of  being  obliged  to 


shall  pay  for  the  loss  of  his  time, 
and  shall  cause  him  to  be  thorough- 
ly healed. 

20  1[  And  if  a  man  smite  his  ser- 
vant, or  his  maid,  with  a  rod,  and 
he  die  under  his  hand ;  he  shall  be 
surely  punished. 


pay  the  expenses  of  the  other's  cure,  and 
his  'sitting,'  or  'cessation'  (ItlilZJ  shibto), 
i.  e.  the  loss  of  time  arising  from  his  con- 
finement. Gr.  'He  shall  pay  for  his  ceas- 
ing from  labor,  and  the  charges  of  heal- 
ing.' Chal.  'He  shall  restore  his  loss 
in  being  idle  from  work,  and  pay  the 
hire  of  the  surgeon.'  By  the  phrase, 
'he  shall  be  quit,'  is  meant  that  he  shall 
be  considered  guiltless  of  a  capital  of 
fence. 

Law  respecting  Injuries  to  Servants. 
20,  21.  If  a  man  smite  his  servant 
&c. — he  shall  be  surely  punished.  Heb- 
'Dp'2^  GpD  nakom  yinnakem,  avenging 
he  shall  be  avenged.  This  verb,  we  be- 
lieve, both  in  this  and  other  cases,  has 
at  one  and  the  same  time  a  twofold  im- 
port, viz.  that  of  punishment  to  the 
offender,  and  of  vindication  or  avenging 
to  the  offended.  It  is  here,  doubtless, 
to  be  understood,  both  of  the  servant 
who  should  be  killed,  and  of  his  master 
who  killed  him ;  the  one  was  avenged 
in  the  very  act  by  which  the  other  was 
punished.  The  precise  kind  of  punish- 
ment to  be  inflicted  is  here  left  undeter- 
mined. But  as  his  smiting  with  a  rod 
instead  of  any  more  deadly  instrument, 
showed  that  it  was  his  intent  to  correct 
and  not  to  kill  him,  it  can  scarcely 
mean  that  he  should  suffer  the  punish- 
ment of  death.  This  derives  support 
from  the  next  verse,  which  enacts,  that 
if  the  servant  survive  a  day  or  two,  the 
master  shall  not  be  punished,  'for  he  is 
his  money,'  i.  e.  purchased  with  his 
money,  and  therefore  the  presumption 
would  be,  that  he  could  not  have  in- 
tended  to  kill  him,  and  he  was  con- 
sidered  to  be  sufficiently  punished  by 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


19 


21  Notwitlistanding,  if  he  continue 
a  day  or  two,  he  shall  not  be  pun- 
ished :  for  u  he  is  his  money. 

22  ^  If  men  strive,  and  hurt  a  wo- 
man with  child,  so  that  her  fruit 
depart  from  her^  and  yet  no  mis- 
chief follow :  he  shall  be  surely 
punished,  according    as  the  wo- 

"  Lev.  25.  45,  46. 

the  loss  which  he  had  incurred.  This 
remark,  however,  it  will  be  observed, 
applies  to  the  latter  case,  where  the 
smitten  servant  continued  a  survivor  a 
day  or  two  ;  but  in  the  other  case,  when 
he  died  under  his  master's  hand,  it  was 
to  be  presumed  that  undue  severity  had 
been  used,  for  Avhich  he  was  to  be  pun- 
ished at  the  discretion  of  the  magis- 
trate in  view  of  all  the  circumstances. 
The  law,  moreover,  is  thought  to  be 
applicable  rather  to  foreign  servants 
than  to  Israelites,  for  over  Hebrew  serv- 
ants masters  were  expressly  forbidden 
to  lord  it  harshly.  Lev.  25.  39,  40. 

Law  respecting  Injury  done  to  Preg- 
nant Women. 
22,  23.  If  men  strive  and  hurt  a  Wo- 
man, &c.  Here  the  original  word  for 
strive  (1^3*^  yinnatzu)  is  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  that  above  remarked  upon, 
V.  iS,  and  implies  literally  ^g-/ifi??g-,  as 
it  is  the  same  word  with  that  employed 
to  denote  the  'striving  together'  of  the 
two  Hebrews  whom  Moses  endeavored 
to  separate,  Ex.  2.  13.  The  injury  of  a 
pregnant  woman  in  consequence  of  a 
fray  between  two  individuals  is  here 
treated,  as  it  deserves  to  be,  very  seri- 
ously ;  first,  because  she  was  no  party 
in  the  origin  of  the  fray  ;  and,  secondly, 
because  the  divine  law  would  show  that 
it  protects,  with  preeminent  care  and 
tenderness,  a  woman  in  that  helpless 
situation  and  her  unborn  offspring.  If 
the  consequence  were  only  the  prema- 
ture birth  of  the  child,  the  aggressor 
was  obliged  to  give  her  husband  a  re- 
compense in  money,  according  to  his 


man's  husband  will  lay  upon  him , 
and  he  shall  ^  pay  as  the  judges 
determine. 

23  And  if  any  mischief  follow, 
then  thou  shalt  give  life  for  life. 

24  yEye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth, 
hand  for  hand,  foot  for  foot, 

xver.  30.    Deut.  22.  18  19.     y  Lev.  24.  20. 
Deut.  19.21.    Malt.  5.  38. 

demand ;  but  in  order  that  his  demand 
might  not  be  unreasonable,  it  was  sub- 
ject to  the  final  decision  of  the  judges. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  either  the  woman 
or  her  child  was  any  way  hurt  or 
maimed,  the  law  of  retaliation  at  once 

took  effect. ^  Then  thou  shalt  give, 

&c.  That  is,  either  thou,  the  offender; 
or  thou,  the  judge,  shalt  give  in  passing 
sentence. 

Lex  talionis,  or  Law  of  like  for  like. 
24.  Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  &c. 
This  enactment  undoubtedly  recognises 
the  prevalence,  in  the  early  stages  of 
society,  of  the  idea  that  every  man  has 
a  right  to  do  himself  justice  and  re- 
venge his  own  injuries.  In  the  infancy 
of  all  communities,  when  the  redress  of 
wrongs  and  the  punishment  of  crimes 
is  not  yet  fully  settled  in  the  hands  of 
magistrates,  this  idea  operates  with  all 
its  force,  and  the  principle  acted  upon 
is,  that  the  punishment  of  offenders 
shall  be  an  exact  equivalent  for  the  in- 
juries sustained.  This  law,  if  it  may 
be  so  termed,  was  undoubtedly  in  vogue 
among  the  Hebrews,  as  well  as  other 
nomade  people,  from  the  earliest  pe- 
riods, and  the  Most  High  accordingly, 
having  to  deal  with  a  people  but  little 
accustomed  to  the  restraints  of  settled 
government,  and  seeing  it  necessary  to 
interpose  the  greatest  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  exercise  of  private  passions, 
was  pleased  so  far  to  consult  their  cir- 
cumstances and  notions,  as  to  make 
every  injury  done  to  the  person  of  an- 
other punishable  by  strict  retaliation  on 
the  aggressor.    Simple  and  natural  as 


20 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


this  principle  of  justice  seems  to  be,  it 
is  still  a  species  of  satisfaction  verging 
close  upon  the  barbarous,  and  easily 
perverted  to  wanton  caprice  and  savage 
cruelty.  For  this  reason,  although  the 
principle  of  tlie  lex  talionis'wa.s  retained 
in  the  Mosaic  code,  yet  its  harsher  fea- 
tures were  softened  by  the  exercise  of 
it  being  placed,  not  in  the  hands  of  pri- 
vate individuals,  but  of  the  public  ma- 
gistrate. Nor  does  it  appear  that  even 
in  this  form  it  was  ever  a  compulsory 
mode  of  retribution.  Although  sanc- 
tioned as  a  general  rule  by  which  the 
decisions  of  magistrates  were  to  be 
governed,  yet  it  is  probable  that  a  pecu- 
niary satisfaction  might  be  made  by 
the  offender  in  cases  of  this  nature  pro- 
vided the  injured  party  would  consent 
to  it.  When  it  is  said.  Numb.  35.  31, 
*Ye  shall  take  no  satisfaction  for  the 
life  of  a  murderer,'  the  inference  is  that 
for  minor  offences  satisfaction  might  be 
taken.  This  is  confirmed  by  the  testi- 
mony of  Josephus,  who  says,  that  the 
law  allowed  him  who  Avas  injured  to 
estimate  his  own  damage,  and  to  ac- 
cept of  a  ])ecuniary  compensation,  un- 
less he  had  a  mind  to  be  reckoned  se- 
vere or  cruel.  Selden,  a  modern  au- 
thority of  great  weight,  says,  '  This 
doth  not  mean,  that  if  I  put  out  another 
man's  eye,  therefore  I  must  lose  my 
own,  (for  what  is  he  better  for  that  ?) 
though  this  be  commonly  received  ;  but 
it  means,  I  shall  give  him  what  satis- 
faction an  eye  shall  be  judged  to  be 
worth.'  This  is  perhaps  the  most  cor- 
rect  view  of  the  lex  talionis  in  its  actual 
operation,  as  we  find  no  instance  on 
record  where  the  law  was  literally  car- 
ried into  eflTect.  The  spirit  of  it  might 
be,  that  the  injuring  party  should  in 
justice  receive  a  punishment  similar  to 
the  injury  he  had  inflicted,  but  was 
allowed  to  redeem  his  eye,  tooth,  hand, 
&c.,  by  a  suitable  payment  to  the  in- 
jured person.  A  law  of  the  same  char- 
acter was  in  existence  among  the  Greeks 
and  Romans,  and  was  understood  to  ad- 


mit the  like  commutations.  In  several 
countries  of  the  East,  moreover,  we 
find  the  law  of  retaliation  obtaining  at 
the  present  day  in  regard  to  the  same 
class  of  injuries  as  those  v.'hicli  came 
under  its  operation  in  the  Hebrew  stat- 
ute book.  In  some  of  the  Indian  princi- 
palities, for  instance,  we  learn  that  it 
has  been  the  immemorial  practice,  that 
if  one  person  accidentally  wounded  an- 
other with  an  arrow,  though  ever  so 
slightly,  the  sufferer,  or  any  of  his 
family,  has  a  right  to  demand  that  he 
shall  be  wounded  in  the  same  manner  ; 
and  a  traveller  in  Persia  mentions  hav- 
ing met  with  a  person  who  had  lost  one 
of  his  limbs  in  consequence,  as  he  was 
informed,  of  having  in  a  scuffle  shat- 
tered the  leg  of  his  antagonist  so  se- 
verely that  amputation  was  necessary. 
'The  practice  among  the  Bedouins  may 
serve  in  some  degree  to  illustrate  this 
subject,  as  well  as  the  nice  balancing 
which  the  law  of  retaliation  operates  in 
producing.  In  case  of  murder,  the 
friends  of  the  murdered  may,  at  their 
option,  either  retaliate  or  accept  a 
heavy  blood  fine.  But  no  other  offence 
is,  in  practice,  liable  to  capital  or  cor- 
poral punishment.  Pecuniary  fines  are 
awarded  for  every  offence,  and  as  they 
are  generally  heavy,  in  comparison 
with  the  delinquency,  the  dread  of -in- 
curring them  tends  much  to  keep  the 
wild  natives  of  the  desert  in  order ;  the 
nature  and  amount  of  the  fines  which 
immemorial  usage  has  assigned  to  par- 
ticular offences  being  well  known  to 
the  Arabs.  Burckhardt  says,  'All  in- 
sulting expressions,  all  acts  of  violence, 
a  blow  however  slight,  (and  a  blow  may 
differ  in  degree  of  insult  according  to 
the  part  struck,)  and  the  infliction  of  a 
wound,  from  Avhich  even  a  single  drop 
of  blood  flows,  all  have  their  respective 
fines  ascertained.'  The  kadi's  sentence 
is  sometimes  to  this  effect : — 

'Bokhyt  called  Djolan  'a  dog.'  Djo- 
lan  returned  the  insult  by  a  blow  upon 
Bokhyt's  arm  ;  then  Boklyt  cut  Djo- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


21 


25  Burning  for  burning,  wound  for 
wound,  stripe  for  stripe. 

26  H  And  if  a  man  smite  the  eye 
of  his  servant,  or  the  eye  of  his 
maid,  that  it  perish  ;  he  shall  let 


lan's  with  a  knife.    Bokhyt  therefore 
owes  to  Djolan — 

For  the  insulting  expression  .  1  sheep 

For  wounding  him  in  the 

shoulder 3  camels 

Djolan  owes  to  Bokhyt — 

For  the  blow  on  his  arm    .     1  camel 
Remain  due  to  Djolan  2  camels  and  1 

sheep.' 
Other  affairs  are  arranged  on  the  same 
principle.  It  is  observable,  that  in  case 
of  theft  in  the  home  camp,  or  that  of  a 
friendly  tribe,  (for  robbery  and  theft  are 
not  in  other  cases  considered  crimes), 
the  criminal  is  condemned  by  an  an- 
cient law  to  the  loss  of  his  right  hand, 
but  custom  allows  him  to  redeem  his 
hand  on  payment  of  five  she-camels  to 
the  person  he  purposed  to  rob.'  Pict. 
Bib.  See  on  this  subject  the  remarks 
of  Michaelis  in  my  'Scripture  Illustra- 
tions,' p.  83. — The  purpose  for  which 
our  Lord  alluded  to  this  law  in  his 
sermon  on  the  Mount,  Mat.  5.  38 — 40, 
and  the  construction  which  he  put  upon 
11,  may  here  properly  receive  a  passing 
remark.  The  original  law,  as  we  have 
intimated,  did  not  positively  bind  the 
injured  party  to  exact  its  literal  execu- 
tion, but  left  him  free  to  forgive  or  to 
accept  the  commutation  of  a  pecuniary 
mulct ;  but  still  if  the  prescribed  pen- 
alty were  required  by  him,  the  judge 
was  perhaps  bound  to  inflict  it.  The 
party  injured  could  not  be  the  execu- 
tioner of  this  law,  but  was  obliged  for 
that  purpose  to  repair  to  the  magis- 
trate ;  for  to  the  judges  only  were  the 
words  addressed,  Deut.l9.  21,  'Thine 
eye  shall  not  pity  ;  but  life  shall  go  for 
life,  tooth  for  tooth,  &c.,'  nor  is  there 
any  evidence  that  private  persons  in 
our  Savior's  time  were  in  the  habit  of 
taking  the  redress  of  their  wrongs  into 


him  go  free  for  his  eye's  sake. 
27  And  if  he  smite  out  his  man- 
servant's  tooth,   or  his  maid-ser- 
vant's tooth ;  he  shall  let  him  go 
free  for  his  tooth's  sake. 

their  own  hands,  and  making  this  rule 
a  plea  for  the  perpetration  of  acts  of 
private  revenge.  Our  Savior  is  evi- 
dently  designing  to  forbid  something  tc 
the  Christian  which  was  allowed  to  the, 
Jews  ;  and  this  we  conceive  was  to  dis- 
suade, or  rather  to  inhibit  them  from 
rigorously  insisting  on  their  right.  He 
forbids  his  disciples  'to  resist  evil,'  by 
requiring  before  the  magistrate  the  exe- 
cution of  this  law  of  retaliation  upon 
those  who  might  have  become  liable  to 
its  operation.  They  would  thus  evince 
a  merciful  and  forgiving  spirit,  the  pe- 
culiar ornament    of  the  followers   of 

Christ. IT  Burning  for  burning. 

That  is,  a  brand-mark  or  stigma  by  hot 
iron  or  the  like. 

Further  Law  respecting  Injuries  done 
to  Servants. 
26,  27.  If  a  man  smite  the  eye  of  his 
servant,  &c.  Throughout  these  enact- 
ments it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  the 
condition  of  servitude  among  the  He- 
brews was  marked  by  numerous  benig- 
nant provisions,  which  no  doubt  went  to 
render  it  more  mild  and  tolerable  than 
the  same  condition  among  any  other 
people  on  earth.  Here  it  is  ordered 
that  the  loss  of  an  eye  or  a  tooth, 
through  the  undue  violence  of  a  master, 
should  be  compensated  with  the  grant 
of  liberty.  Although  the  eye  and  the 
tooth  only  are  mentioned,  yet  it  is  plain- 
ly to  be  inferred  that  the  rule  extended 
to  every  other  instance  of  serious  muti- 
lation of  the  person.  Moses  frequently 
delivers  general  laws  in  the  form  of 
particular  examples  ;  and  by  here  speci- 
fying the  noblest  of  our  organs  on  the 
one  hand,  and  on  the  other  one  of  those 
that  can  be  most  easily  dispensed  with, 
and  are  naturally  lost  on  the  coming  of 


22 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


28  H  If  an  ox  gore  a  man  or  a 
woman,  that  they  die  :  then  z  the 
ox  shall  be  surely  stoned,  and  his 
flesh  shall  not  be  eaten ;  but  the 
owner  of  the  ox  shall  be  quit. 

29  But  if  the  ox  were  wont  to  push 

z  Gen.  9.  5. 

old  age,  he  plainly  gives  us  to  under- 
stand that  all  the  other  organs,  of  inter- 
mediate dignity,  are  to  be  included.  It 
is  also  reasonable  to  suppose  that  all 
slaves,  whether  Israelites  or  not,  were 
to  have  the  benefit  of  this  law,  though 
the  Jewish  authorities  restrict  it  to  the 
former. 

Law  respecting  the  pushing  or  goring 
Ox. 
28,  29.  If  an  ox  gore  a  man  or  a  wo- 
man. The  present  is  another  charac- 
teristic feature  of  the  Mosaic  code. 
When  a  man,  without  having  himself 
given  the  fatal  blow,  was,  in  conse- 
quence of  gross  carelessness,  the  cause 
of  his  neighbor's  death  in  any  other 
way,  he  became  liable  to  the  cognizance 
of  the  law.  The  case  of  the  pushing 
ox  is  alone  here  mentioned,  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  regulation  ap- 
plied to  the  case  of  any  other  animal 
capable  of  inflicting  a  mortal  injury, 
whether  by  means  of  his  horns,  feet, 
teeth,  or  otherwise.  '  The  Scripture,' 
says  Maimonides,  'speaketh  not  of  the 
ox  but  as  an  instance.'  The  design  of 
this  law  was  to  signify  the  divine  de- 
testation of  homicide,  and  to  inspire  the 
nation  of  Israel  with  the  deepest  horror 
at  every  species  of  blood-shedding,  by 
which  human  life  was  extinguished.  At 
the  same  time  the  ancient  Asiatic  no- 
tions of  retributive  justice  are  clearly 
to  be  traced  in  the  ordinances  before  us. 
Among  a  people  more  advanced  m  civil- 
ization and  refinement  a  pecuniary  or 
other  penalty  would  have  the  efiect  of 
mspiring  the  due  degree  of  caution  in 
restraining  noxious  animals.  But  for  a 
rude  people  like  the  Hebrews  in  the  age 


with  his  horn  m  time  past,  and  it 
hath  been  testified  to  his  owner, 
and  he  hath  not  kept  him  in,  but 
that  he  hath  killed  a  man  or  a 
woman;  the  ox  shall  be  stoned, 
and  his  owner  also  shall  be  put  to 
death. 

of  Moses,  the  present  enactment,  which 
inflicted  punishment  on  the  injurious 
beast  itself,  would  probably  be  more 
effectual  than  any  other  in  impressing 
their  minds  with  a  strong  sense  of  the 
value  of  human  life  and  the  certain 
retribution  that  awaited  its  destroyer. 
Accordingly,  many  of  the  ancient  le- 
gislators, who  were  called  to  institute 
laws  to  people  placed  in  circumstances 
closely  resembling  those  of  the  He- 
brews, proceeded  on  the  same  principle 
as  Moses  ;  some  of  the  wisest  of  them 
ordaining,  that  a  dog  that  bit  a  person 
should  be  put  in  chains  ;  and  that  if  a 
stone,  or  piece  of  wood,  iron,  or  the 
like,  was  thrown  at  a  man,  so  as  to  kill 
him,  but  the  perpetrator  could  not  be 
discovered,  the  punishment  appointed 
by  the  law  should  be  forthwith  inflicted 
on  the  instrument  of  the  murder.  In 
ancient  history  we  read  of  a  statue, 
which,  by  accident,  had  fallen  down 
and  killed  a  bystander,  being  thrown 
into  the  sea ;  and  in  modern  history  we 
meet  with  a  singular  instance  of  severity 
displayed  towards  a  tree,  in  consequence 
of  an  atrocious  robbery  having  been 
committed  near  it.  Sir  John  Malcolm 
relates,  that  a  late  Persian  monarch, 
who  had  signalised  his  reign  by  a  laud- 
able zeal  to  extirpate  every  species  ol 
crime,  especially  to  make  travelling 
through  his  dominions  safe  from  the 
molestations  of  robbers,  having  been 
informed  by  an  individual  of  his  being 
waylaid  and  relieved  of  a  considerable 
sum  of  money,  issued  a  proclamation 
for  the  apprehension  of  the  offenders. 
No  clue,  however,  was  found  that  could 
lead  to  the  discovery  ;  and  the  king, 
determined  not  to  let  such  an  atrocity 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


28 


30  If  there  be  laid  on  him  a  sum 
of  money,  then  he  shall  give  for 
a  the  ransom  of  his  life  whatsoever 
is  laid  upon  him. 

31  Whether  he  have  gored  a  son, 
or  have  gored  a  daughter,  accord- 

aver.  22.     Numb.  35.  31. 


pass  without  a  marked  expression  of 
his  royal  displeasure,  sent  a  herald 
through  all  the  neighboring  towns  and 
villages,  to  announce,  that  as  the  rob- 
bery was  perpetrated  at  a  certain  tree, 
he  had  ordered  the  executioners  of  jus- 
tice to  repair  on  an  appointed  day  to 
the  spot,  and  punish  the  tree  according 
to  the  utmost  rigors  of  the  law.  At 
the  period  fixed,  an  immense  crowd  re- 
paired to  witness  the  spectacle  ;  the 
royal  messenger  inflicted  tremendous 
blows  on  the  unconscious  and  unoffend- 
ing tree  ;  and  the  consequence  was,  that 
such  a  feeling  was  universally  diffused 
among  his  subjects  of  the  king's  fixed 
determination  to  revenge  the  theft,  that 
the  delinquents,  in  the  course  of  the 
next  night,  deposited  the  stolen  prop- 
erty at  the  foot  of  the  very  tree  at 
which  they  had  taken  it,  and  which  had 
suffered  for  their  crime.  Instances  of 
this  description  show  us  the  wisdom 
and  necessity  of  lawgivers  accommo- 
dating their  institutions  and  maimer  of 
procedure  to  the  character  and  circum- 
stances of  the  people  over  whom  they 
preside.  — -  TT  His  flesh  shall  not  be 
eaten.  Both  in  order  to  inspire  deeper 
detestation,  and  that  the  owner's  loss 

might  be  greater. IT  The  owner  of 

the  ox  shall  be  quit.  Shall  suffer  no  other 
punishment  than  the  loss  of  his  ox. 
This,  however,  was  on  condition  of  the 
owner's  not  having  been  previously  ac- 
quainted with  the  vicious  propensities 
of  the  animal.  But  if  he  had  been  in- 
formed of  preceding  instances  of  the 
same  kind,  and  yet  had  neglected  to 
take  care  of  the  ox,  and  through  his 
neglect  any  one  had  lost  his  life,  then 
not  only  must  the  ox  be  stoned,  but  the 


ing  to  this  judgment  shall  it  be 
done  unto  him. 
32  If  the  ox  shall  push  a  man- 
servant, or  a  maid-servant ;  he  shall 
give  unto    their    master    b  thirty 

b  See  Zech.  11. 12,  13.    Matt.  26. 15.    Phil. 


owner  also  punished  as  a  murderer. 
Mischief  of  this  kind  was  provided 
against  by  the  statutes  or  customs  of 
most  nations,  but  by  none  so  studiously 
as  those  of  the  Hebrews.  The  Romans 
twisted  hay  about  the  horns  of  their 
dangerous  cattle,  as  a  caution  to  all 
that  came  in  their  way.  Hence  the 
saying  of  Horace,  '  Foenum  habet  in 
cornu,  longe  fuge  !'  he  has  hay  on  his 
horns,  flee  for  life !  But  the  Jewish 
law  required  the  confinement  of  the 
beast. 

30 — 32.  If  there  be  laid  on  him  a  sum 
of  money,  &c.  Heb.  1^^3>  timi^  IDS  DJ* 
im  kopher  yushath  alav,  if  an  atone- 
ment, or  ransom,  be  laid  upon  him. 
This  evidently  supposes  that  in  view 
of  alleviating  circumstances,  the  magis- 
trates were  permitted  to  change  the 
punishment  of  death  into  a  pecuniary 
mulct.  The  care  of  the  ox,  for  instance, 
may  have  been  committed  to  a  careless 
servant ;  or  he  may  have  broken  through 
the  cords  or  the  inclosure  by  which  he 
was  secured ;  or  he  might  have  been 
provoked  and  enraged  by  another ;  all 
which  were  circumstances  that  should 
go  in  mitigation  of  the  sentence.  What- 
ever the  fine  were  in  this  case,  he  was 
to  submit  to  it,  and  it  was  to  be  given 
to  the  heirs  of  him  that  had  been  killed. 
This  fine,  in  the  case  of  a  free  man  or 
woman,  was  left  discretionary  with  the 
judge,  but  in  the  case  of  a  male  or  fe- 
male servant  was  fixed  to  the  sum  of 
thirty  shekels  of  silver,  or  about  $22  of 
our  money.  This  valuation  of  a  slave 
was  precisely  the  sum  for  which  Judas 
betrayed  Christ !  Mat.  26.  15.  Zech.  11. 
12,  13.— In  v.  31,  the  Chal.  has,  'A  son 
of  Israel  or  a  daughter  of  Israel.' 


24 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


shekels  of  silver,  and  the  c  ox  shall 
be  stoned. 

33  ^  And  if  a  man  shall  open  a 
pit,  or  if  a  man  shall  dig  a  pit,  and 
not  cover  it,  and  an  ox  or  an  ass 
fall  therein ; 

34  The  owner  of  the  pit  shall  make 
it  good,  and  give  money  unto  the 
owner  of  them ;  and  the  dead  beast 
shall  be  his. 

35  H  And  if  one  man's  ox  hurt 
another's  that  he  die,  then  they 
shall  sell  the  live  ox,  and  divide  the 

e  ver.  28. 


Law  respecting  the  Pit  left  uncovered. 
33.  If  a  man  shall  open  a  pit,  &c. 
Not  only  were  the  statutes  of  this  di- 
vine code  so  framed  as  to  guard  against 
mischief  and  injury  arising  from  malice, 
but  also  against  that  which  might  be 
occasioned  by  a  culpable  negligence. 
The  pits  or  wells  from  which  water  was 
procured  in  those  countries,  though  usu- 
ally covered  when  not  in  use,  yet  were 
very  liable  to  be  left  open,  thus  expos- 
ing to  the  utmost  peril  the  lives  or 
limbs  of  the  animals  that  chanced  to 
fall  into  them.  The  law  contemplates 
the  two  cases  of  opening  an  old  pit  and 
digging  a  new  one.  The  damage  accru- 
ing in  either  case  was  to  be  made  good 
by  the  opener  or  digger,  to  whom,  how- 
ever, the  carcase  of  the  dead  animal 
was  to  be  considered  as  belonging. 

Law  respecting  Injuries  done  to  cattle. 
35.  If  one  man's  ox  hurt  another's. 
Where  cattle  fought  and  one  killed  an- 
other, the  owners  were  to  adjust  the 
matter  by  selling  the  live  ox  and  divid- 
ing the  price  equally  between  them, 
and  also  by  making  an  equal  division 
of  the  dead  ox.  But  it  is  supposed  in 
this  case,  that  there  had  been  no  fault 
on  the  part  of  the  owner  of  the  slaying 
ox.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  animal 
was  known  to  be  of  vicious  propensities 
and  his  owner  had  not  kept  him  in,  it 


money  of  it,  and  the  dead  ox  also 
they  shall  divide. 
36  Or  if  it  be  known  that  the  ox 
hath  used  to  push  in  time  past,  and 
his  owner  hath  not  kept  him  in ; 
he  shall  surely  pay  ox  for  ox,  and 
the  dead  shall  be  his  own. 
CHAPTER  XXII. 

IF  a  man  shall  steal  an  ox,  or  a 
sheep,  and  kill  it,  or  sell  it :  he 
shall  restore  five  oxen  for  an  ox, 
and  a  four  sheep  for  a  sheep. 

a  2  Sam.   12.  6.    Luke   19.  8.    See  Prov. 
6.31. 

was  manifestly  just  that  he  should  suf- 
fer for  his  negligence,  and  was  conse- 
quently required  to  give  up  his  live  ox 
and  take  the  dead  one. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Law  respecting  Theft  and  Burglary. 

\.  If  a  man  shall  steal  an  ox,  &c. 
The  protection  of  person  and  property 
from  the  force  of  the  violent,  and  from 
the  frauds  of  the  dishonest,  is  one  of  the 
chief  objects  of  all  criminal  lavv^ ;  and 
this  object  is  compassed,  or  at  least  aim- 
ed at,  by  means  of  punishments  or  pen- 
alties annexed  to  crime.  Now:  certainly 
the  most  obvious,  appropriate,  and  effi- 
cacious punishment  for  stealing  is,  that 
the  thief  should  be  compelled  to  restore 
many  times  the  value  of  that  which  he 
had  stolen;  and  in  this  we  find  the 
principle  of  the  ensuing  statutes  con- 
cerning theft.  As  the  property  of  the 
ancient  Israelites  consisted  mainly  in 
cattle,  it  was  very  natural  that  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  the  magistrates  were 
to  proceed  in  determining  cases  of  theft 
and  robbery,  should  be  shown  in  in- 
stances taken  from  this  kind  of  posses- 
sion. From  this  chapter  it  appears  that 
the  most  gentle  punishment  of  theft  was 
tiL'ofold  restitution  to  the  owner,  who 
thus  obtained  a  profit  for  his  risk  oi 
loss.  This  punishment  was  applicable 
to  every  case  in  which  the  article  stolen 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


25 


2  ^  If  a  thief  be  found  b  break- 
ing up,  and   be   smitten   that   he 

b  Matt.  24.43. 

remained  unaltered  in  the  thiePs  pos- 
session ;  that  is,  was  neither  sold  nor 
slaughtered.   If  however  either  of  these 
were   the  case,   and    consequently  all 
hope  of  repentance  and  voluntarj'  resti- 
tution precluded,  the  punishment  was 
more  severe,  being  fourfold  restitution 
in  the   case   of  a  sheep   or  goat,  and 
probably  of  other  animals  except  an  ox, 
v;here    it   was  fivefold.      This   higher 
degree  of  penalty  was  annexed  to  the 
theft  of  oxen  on  account  of  their  great 
value  in  the  rural  economy  of  the  Is- 
raelites ;    for   they  used  no   horses  in 
their  husbandry.      The   ox  did    every 
thing  on  their  farms.    He  plowed,  he 
threshed  out  the  corn,  and  he  drew  it 
when  threshed  to  the  barn  or  garner. 
If  therefore  the  theft  of  an  ox  was  more 
severely  punished  than  that  of  any  thing 
else,  it  was  on  the  same  principle  on 
which  an  increase  of  punishment  is  in- 
flicted for  the  crime  of  stealing  from 
the  larmer  his  plough,  or  any  part  of 
the  apparatus  belonging  to  it.     It  was, 
however,  afterward  enacted.  Lev.  6.  4, 
5,  that  if  the  thief  were  touched  in  con- 
science, and  voluntarily  confessed  his 
crime  and  restored  the  stolen  property, 
he  should  only  be  required  to  add  a  fifth 
part  to  it.    Comp.  Num.  5.  6,  7. 

2.  If  a  thief  be  found  breaking  up, 
&c.  Heb.  tl^riniOIl  bammahtereth,  in 
digging  through.  Gr.  ev  toj  Stopvy[iari, 
id.  That  is,  digging  or  breaking  through 
a  house,  as  the  Chal.  expressly  renders 
it.  In  the  eastern  countries  the  walls 
of  the  houses  are  made  very  thick  in 
order  to  shelter  the  inhabitants  more 
effectually  from  the  intense  heat  of  the 
climate,  and  they  are  very  frequently 
made  of  dried  mud,  laid  in  between  up- 
right and  tranverse  pieces  of  timber. 
Maundrell,  speaking  of  Damascus,  says, 
'The  streets  here  are  narrow,  as  is  usual 
in  hot  countries,  and  the  houses  are  all 
Vol.  II.  3 


die,  there  shall  c  no  blood  be  shed 
for  him. 

c  Numb.  35.  27. 


built  on  the  outside  of  no  better  a  ma- 
terial than  either  sun-burnt  brick,  or 
Flemish  wall,  daubed  over  in  as  coarse 
a  manner  as  can  be  seen  in  the  vilest 
cottages.  From  this  dirty  way  of  build- 
ing, they  experience  this  amongst  other 
inconveniences,  that  upon  any  violent 
rain  the  whole  city  becomes,  by  the 
washing  of  the  houses,  as  it  were  a 
quagmire.'  As  an  opening  therefore 
was  effected  through  dried  clay,  and 
not  through  wood  or  stone,  we  perceive 
the  propriety  of  the  terms  employed. 
The  phraseology  may  be  illustrated  by 
the  following  parallel  passages:  Job, 
24.  16,  'In  the  dark  they  dig  through 
houses  which  they  had  marked  for  them- 
selves in  the  daytime.'  Ezek.  8.  8, 
'  Then  said  he  unto  me,  Son  of  Man, 
dig  now  in  the  wall,'  &c.  Mat.  24.  43, 
'If  the  good  man  of  the  house  had  known 
in  what  watch  the  thief  had  come,  he 
would  have  watched,  and  would  not 
have  suffered  his  house  to  be  broken 
up.'  Gr.  '  To  be  digged  through.'  It 
is  plain  also  from  the  sequel  that  the 
burglary  is  supposed  to  be  committed 

at  night. IT  No  blood  for  him;  as  it 

reads  without  the  italics.  Heb.  pjj^ 
12^5^1  *1^  ain  lo  damim,  no  bloods  to 
him.  That  is,  no  blood  shall  be  im- 
puted to  him  who  killed  him ;  he  shall 
not  be  held  guilty  of  murder,  inasmuch 
as  it  could  not  be  known  in  the  dark 
who  the  intruder  was,  or  how  far  his  de- 
signs  might  have  carried  him  if  not  pre- 
vented. Gr.  ovK  tariv  avTO)  cpopoSj  there 
shall  not  be  slaughter  for  him.  Chal., 
Sam.,  and  Vulg.  'The  smiter  shall  not 
be  guilty  of  blood.'  Syr.  'He  shall  not 
have  an  action  of  life.'  Arab,  'His 
blood  shall  be  unpunished.'  The  pro- 
priety of  this  enactment  will  appear 
more  obvious  if  it  be  considered  that  in 
the  night  season  men  are  less  upon  their 
guard,  and  where  the  precautions  are 


26 


EXODUS. 


fB.  C.  1491. 


3  If  the  sun  be  risen  upon  him 
there  shall  he  blood  shed^orhim'.for 
he  should  make  full  restitution ;  if 
he  have  nothing,  then  he  shall  be 
d  sold  for  his  theft. 

4  If  the  theft  be  certainly  e  found 
in  his  hand  alive,  whether  it  be  ox, 
or  ass,  or  sheep  ;  he  shall  ^  restore 
double. 

5  H  If  a  man  shall  cause  a  field  or 

dch.  21.  2.  ech.  21.  16.  fSeever  1.7. 
Prov.  6.  31. 

necessarily  slight,  the  rigor  of  the  law 
should  be  increased.  Besides,  a  rob- 
bery committed  in  the  dead  of  night, 
when  no  spectators  are  by,  is  attended 
with  great  inconvenience  for  the  want 
of  witnesses,  by  whose  testimony  only 
the  thief  could  be  condemned.  Tlie 
case  was  directly  the  reverse  provided 
the  sun  had  risen,  for  then  the  presump- 
tion was  that  the  thief's  sole  purpose 
was  to  steal  and  not  to  kill,  and  slaying 
was  not  the  punishment  for  stealing. 
In  God's  code  punishment  is  always 
duly  proportioned  to  crime ;  and  it 
teaches  us  to  be  tender  of  the  lives  of 
bad  men. 

3.  If  the  sun  he  risen  upon  him.  Chal. 
'If  the  eye  of  witnesses  shall  have  fallen 
upon  him.'  Targ.  Jon.  'If  it  be  clear 
by  the  sun's  light  that  he  did  not  enter 

for  the  purpose  of  killing.' %  He 

should  make  full  restitution.  This 
clause  is  designed  as  a  statement  of  the 
reason  for  what  goes  before.  The  kill- 
ing of  the  man  under  such  circumstances 
were  a  mere  act  of  wanton  homicide,  in- 
asmuch as  he  could,  if  spared,  have 
made  complete  restitution  ;  or  if  too 
poor  for  this,  he  could  have  been  sold 
as  a  slave,  according  to  law,  and  the 
avails  have   gone  to  compensate    the 

theft  or  the  injury. IT  Then  he  shall 

be  sold.  An  imhappy  rendering  when 
strictly  considered,  for  the  housebreak- 
er is  supposed  to  be  killed  ;  and  if  so, 
how  could  he  be  sold  as  a  slave  ?  The 
version  ought  properly  to  have  run  like 


vineyard  to  be  eaten,  and  shall  put 
in  his  beast,  and  shall  feed  in  ano- 
ther man's  field :  of  the  best  of  his 
own  field,  and  of  the  best  of  his 
own  vineyard  shall  he  make  resti- 
tution. 

6  H  If  fire  break  out,  and  catch  in 
thorns,  so  that  the  stacks  of  corn, 
or  the  standing  corn,  or  the  field  be 
consumed  therexcith  ;  he  that  kin- 
dled the  fire  shall  surely  make 
restitution. 


the  preceding,  '  he  should  or  might  have 
been  sold.' 

4.  If  the  theft  be  certainly  found  in 
his  hand  alive,  &c.  This  is  not  to  be 
understood  as  being  at  variance  with 
what  is  said  Prov.  6.  31,  'If  he  be  found, 
he  shall  restore  sevenfold;^  as  the  'seven- 
fold' here  is  doubtless  but  another  term 
for  abundantly,  according  to  the  com- 
mon usage  of  the  number  '  seven.'  Comp. 
Gen.  4.  24.  Ps.  12.  6.-79.  12.  The  pro- 
vision  in  this  case  seems  to  be  based 
upon  a  mild  construction  of  motives. 
The  theft  being  found  in  his  hand  would 
appear  to  argue  more  hesitation  and 
less  management  and  decision  in  ini 
quitous  practices  than  if  he  had  pro 
ceeded  to  kill  or  sell  it.  So  nice  are 
the  discriminations  that  are  made  ir» 
this  wonderful  code. 

Law  respecting  Trespass. 

5.  If  a  man  shall  cause  afield  or  vine 
yard,  &c.  This  was  a  case  of  trespass 
upon  another  man's  grounds,  where  the 
intruder  sent  in  his  cattle  to  feed  upon 
and  eat  down  the  grass,  vines,  or  fruit 
trees  of  his  neighbor.  The  penalty  was 
that  he  should  make  restitution  of  the 
best  of  his  own. 

Law  respecting  Conflagrations. 

6.  If  q  fire  break  out,  and  catch  in 
thorns,  &c.  It  is  a  plain  principle  run- 
ning through  these  enactments,  that  men 
should  suffer  for  their  carelessness,  as 
well  as  for  their  wickedness ;  that  they 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


27 


are  to  consider  themselves  accountable 
not  only  for  the  injury  they  do,  but  also 
for  that  which  they  occasion  through  in- 
advertency. Here  it  is  not  necessary  to 
suppose  that  he  who  kindled  the  fire 
designed  the  mischief  that  ensued.  As 
it  is  a  common  custom  in  the  East  to 
set  the  dry  herbage  on  fire  before  the 
descent  of  the  autumnal  rains,  the  fire 
may  have  been  kindled  on  a  man's  own 
ground  and  by  his  own  hand,  and  Irom 
want  of  proper  attention  it  may  have 
spread,  and  been  productive  of  the 
widest  ravages  over  the  neighboring 
possessions.  An  adequate  restitution 
is  all  the  penalty  enjoined  in  such  a  case 
of  accidental  conflagration  ;  whereas  for 
wilfully  and  maliciously  kindling  a  de- 
structive fire  a  much  severer  punish- 
ment was  undoubtedly  to  be  inflicted. 
The  danger  to  property  and  loss  of  life 
arising  from  this  source  is  strikingly 
depicted  in  the  following  note  on  this 
passage  in  the  Pictorial  Bible.  'This 
(law)  doubtless  alludes  to  the  common 
practice  in  the  East  of  setting  fire  to  the 
dry  herbage,  before  the  commencement 
of  the  autumnal  rains,  under  the  very 
correct  impression  that  this  operation 
is  favorable  to  the  next  crop.  The  herb- 
age is  so  perfectly  dry  by  the  long  sum- 
mer droughts,  that  the  fire  when  kindled 
often  spreads  to  a  great  extent  and  can- 
not be  checked  while  it  finds  any  ali- 
ment. The  operation  is  attended  with 
great  danger,  and  requires  to  be  per- 
formed with  a  careful  reference  to  the 
direction  in  which  the  wind  blows,  and 
to  local  circumstances,  that  nothing  val- 
uable may  be  consumed  in  the  course 
given  to  the  destructive  element.  Such 
a  fire  kindled  accidentally  or  wilfully  is 
sometimes  attended  with  most  calam- 
itous consequences,  destroying  trees, 
shrubs,  and  standing  crops,  and  placing 
in  considerable  danger  persons  who  hap- 
pen to  be  abroad  on  a  journey  or  other- 
wise. Such  accidents  sometimes  happen 
through  the  carelessness  of  travellers  in 
neglectme:,  when  they  leave  their  sta- 


tions, to  extinguish  the  fires  they  have 
used  during  the  night.  The  dry  herbage 
towards  the  end  of  summer  is  so  very 
combustible,  that  a  slight  cause  is  suffi- 
cient to  set  it  in  a  blaze.  Dr.  Chandler 
relates  an  anecdote,  which  sufficiently 
shows  the  necessity  and  propriety  of 
the  law  which  the  text  brings  to  our 
notice.  When  he  was  taking  a  plan  of 
Troas,  one  day  after  dinner,  a  Turk 
came  near  and  emptied  the  ashes  out  of 
his  pipe.  A  spark  fell  unobserved  upon 
the  grass,  and  a  brisk  wind  soon  kindled 
a  blaze,  which  withered  in  an  instant 
the  leaves  of  the  trees  and  bushes  in  its 
way,  seized  the  branches  and  roots,  and 
devoured  all  before  it  with  prodigious 
crackling  and  noise.  Chandler  and  his 
party  were  much  alarmed,  as  a  general 
conflagration  of  the  country  seemed 
likely  to  ensue :  but  after  an  hour's  ex- 
ertion they  were  enabled  to  extinguish 
the  flames.  The  writer  of  this  note  can 
himself  recollect,  that  when  one  chilly 
night  he  assisted  in  kindling  a  fire,  for 
warmth,  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
Tigris,  so  much  alarm  was  exhibited 
by  the  Arabs  lest  the  flames  should 
catch  the  tamarisks  and  other  shrubs 
and  bushes  which  skirt  the  river,  that 
the  party  were  induced  to  forego  the 
enjoyment  which  the  fire  afforded.  The 
writer  has  often  witnessed  these  fires, 
and  the  appearance  which  they  present, 
particularly  at  night,  was  always  very 
striking.  The  height  of  the  flame  de- 
pends upon  the  thickness  and  strength 
of  its  aliment;  and  its  immediate  ac- 
tivity, upon  the  force  of  the  wind.  When 
there  is  little  or  no  wind  the  fire  has  no 
other  food  than  the  common  herbage  of 
the  desert  or  steppe  ;  the  flame  seldom 
exceeds  three  feet  in  height,  and  ad- 
vances slowly  and  steadily  like  a  vast 
tide  of  fire  backed  by  the  smoke  of 
the  smouldering  embers,  and  castmg  a 
strong  light  lor  a  considerable  height 
into  the  air,  sometimes  also  throwing 
up  a  taller  mass  of  flame  where  it  meets 
with  clumps  of  bushes  or  shrubs  which 


28 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


7  H  If  a  man  shall  deliver  unto  his 
neighbour  money  or  stuff  to  keep, 
and  it  be  stolen  out  of  the  man's 
house;  g  if  the  thief  be  found,  let 
him  pay  double. 

8  If  the  thief  be  not  found,  then 
the  master  of  the  house  shall  be 
brought  unto  the  '' judges,  to  see 
whether  he  have  put  his  hand  unto 
his  neighbour's  goods. 

9  For  all  manner  of  trespass,  iche- 
ther  it  be  for  ox,  for  ass,  for  sheep, 
for  raiment,  or  for  any  manner 
of  lost  thing  which  another  chal- 
lengeth  to  be  his:  the  i  cause  of 
both  parties  shall  come  before  the 
judges;  and  whom  the  judges  shall 

s  ver.  4.  hch.21.  6.  &  ver.  28.  iDeut.  25. 
1.    2  Chron.  19.  10. 

afford  more  substantial  aliment.  This 
taller  mass  lingers  behind  to  complete 
its  work  after  the  general  body  of  flame 
has  continued  its  destructive  and  con- 
quering march.  A  high  wind  throws  the 
flames  forward  with  great  fury,  while, 
if  the  ground  happens  to  be  thickly  set 
with  clumps  of  bushes,  the  tall  columns 
of  flame  which  start  up  in  the  advanc- 
ing fiery  tide,  give  increased  intensity 
to  the  grand  and  appalling  effect  of  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  scenes  which  it 
falls  to  the  lot  of  a  traveller  to  witness. 
In  the  steppes  of  southern  Russia  the 
writer  has  passed  over  tracts  of  ground, 
the  surface  of  which  had,  for  fifty  miles 
or  more,  been  swept  and  blackened  by 
the  flames.'    Fict.  Bible. 

Law  respecting  Deposits. 

1.  If  a  man  shall  deliver  unto  his 
neighbor  money  or  stuff  to  keep.  Heb. 
C^^iS  1K  t]D!D  kcseph  o  k'iiim,  silver  or 
vessels;  i.  e.  furniture,  utensils.  Per- 
haps the  general  word  articles  comes 
the  nearest  to  the  original.  When  valu- 
able articles  were  left  for  safe  keeping 
in  the  hands  of  any  one,  and  while  thus 
entrusted  were  in  some  way  missing,  if 
the  thief  were  found  he  was  to  restore 


condemn  he  shall  pay  double  unto 
his  neighbour. 

10  If  a  man  deliver  unto  his  neigh- 
bour an  ass,  or  an  ox,  or  a  sheep,  or 
any  beast  to  keep ;  and  it  die,  or 
be  hurt,  or  driven  away,  no  man 
seeing  it : 

11  Then  shall  an  koath  of  the 
Lord  be  between  them  both,  that 
he  hath  not  put  his  hand  unto  his 
neighbour's  goods  ;  and  the  owner 
of  it  shall  accept  thereof,  and  he 
shall  not  make  tt  good. 

12  And  1  if  it  be  stolen  from  him, 
he  shall  make  restitution  unto  the 
owner  thereof. 

13  If  it  be  torn  in  pieces;  the7i  let 
him  bring  it  for  witness,  and  he 

kliebr.  6.  16.     1  Gen.  31.39. 


double.  But  if  the  thief  were  not  found, 
there  was  at  least  a  suspicion  that  he 
who  had  them  in  keeping  had  secreted 
or  abstracted  them,  and  a  judicial  in- 
quiry was  thereupon  to  be  instituted. 
The  depositary  was  to  be  summoned 
before  the  magistrates  and  his  oath  that 
he  knew  nothing  of  them  was  to  be  con- 
sidered as  a  full  acquittance.  The  law 
indeed  does  not  expressly  mention  the 
oath,  but  only  says,  '  he  shall  be  brought 
unto  the  jzidges  (DTi^J^  Elohim,  gods), 
to  see  whether  not  (i<p  C£^  im  lo)  he  hath 
put  his  hand,  &c.;'  but  the  phrase  i^b  IDS^ 
im  lo,  whether  not,  is  elsewhere  so  no- 
toriously the  usual  formula  of  an  oath 
among  the  Hebrews,  that  we  can  scarce- 
ly understand  it  otherwise  than  in  refer- 
ence to  an  oath  ;  more  especially  as  the 
oath  is  distinctly  mentioned  v.  11,  and 
in  most  cases  no  other  proof  of  his  not 
having  retained  his  neighbor's  property 
could  possibly  be  had.  This  is  confirmed 
by  some  of  the  ancient  versions,  as  Vulg. 
'And  shall  swear  that  he  hath  not  put 
his  hand  to  his  neighbor's  goods.'  Sept. 
and  Sam.  '  Shall  come  before  God  and 
swear  that  he  hath  not  been  wicked  in 
the  whole  trust  of  his  neighbor.' 
9 — 13.   For  ox,  for  ass,  for  sheep. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


29 


shall  not  make  good  that  which 
was  torn. 

14  H  And  if  a  man  borrow  aught 
of  his  neighbour,  and  it  be  hurt,  or 


The  rule  in  the  preceding  verse  has  re- 
spect to  articles  of  money,  plate,  or 
furniture ;  but  in  the  present  to  live 
stock  intrusted  to  the  care  of  another 
'  to  keep ;'  i.  e.  not  gratuitously,  as  in 
the  case  above,  v.  7,  but  for  hire  or  upon 
certain  considerations,  as  Jacob  had  La- 
ban's  flock  to  keep.  Gen.  30.  31 — 36. 
That  this  is  the  true  sense  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  nature  of  the  case.  The 
keeping  of  money,  jewels,  &c.  required 
no  care  or  labor,  but  simply  a  safe  place 
of  deposit,  and  therefore  might  be  gra- 
tuitous ;  but  not  so  with  cattle  or  sheep, 
v.'hich  must  of  course  be  fed  and  pastur- 
ed, and  would  thus  incur  expense.  If 
the  deposit  consisted  of  any  of  the  ani- 
mals here  mentioned,  and  it  met  with 
any  injury,  or  was  driven  away  from  the 
pasture,  the  depositarj"-,  if  no  man  had 
seen  it,  was  obliged  to  swear  he  had  not 
retained  it,  nor  applied  it  to  his  own 
use ;  and  his  oath  to  this  effect  the 
owner  was  bound  to  accept  instead  of 
payment.  But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
had  been  stolen  out  of  the  house  of  the 
depositary,  he  was  obliged  to  pay  for 
it ;  inasmuch  as  a  theft  in  such  circum- 
stances would  imply  the  most  criminal 
remissness  in  him  in  whose  house  it  had 
occurred,  and  it  was  just  that  he  should 
suffer  the  loss  of  it.  If,  again,  the  beast 
was  torn  to  pieces,  the  depositary  was 
only  bound  to  bring  proof  of  the  fact, 
aiul  doing  so  he  was  under  no  obliga- 
tion to  make  it  good.  What  proof  was 
requisite  Moses  does  not  say.  The 
most  natural  proof  would  of  course  be 
the  testimony  of  an  eye-witness,  or  a 
remnant  of  the  bloody  skin,  or  carcase  ; 
Jerus.  Targ.  '  Let  him  bring  of  the 
members  of  it  for  a  witness  that  it  is 
killed.'      But  on  this  point  nothing  is 

specified  in  the  text. IT  An  oath  of 

the  Lord 


die,  the  owner  thereof  being  not 
with  it,  he  shall  surely  make  it 
Sfood. 
15  But  if  the  owner   thereof  he 


the  appeal  was  made,  not  only  as  to  a 
Witness  of  truth,  but  as  to  an  Avenger 
of  falsehood  and  wrong.  Even  in  the 
case  of  one  who  had  so  far  broken 
through  the  bonds  of  moral  restraint, 
as  to  offer  injury  to  his  neighbor,  it 
might  still  be  presumed  that  there  was 
so  much  regard  to  conscience  as  to  pre- 
vent him  from  profaning  'an  oath  of  the 
Lord,'  and  calling  the  God  of  truth  to 
be  a  witness  to  a  lie. 

Law  respecting  Things  borrowed. 
14,  15.  Jf  a  man  borrotv  aught  of  his 
neighbor,  &c.  In  the  case  of  a  bor- 
rowed beast  of  burden,  as  an  ox,  an  ass, 
or  a  horse,  receiving  any  hurt,  or  com- 
ing by  his  death,  the  borrower  was  to 
make  it  good,  provided  the  owner  were 
not  present ;  for  it  might  be  fairly  pre- 
sumed that  he  had  injured  or  destroyed 
it  by  excessive  labor  or  other  cruelty. 
But  if  the  owner  himself  were  present, 
he  would  of  course  be  presumed  to  have 
done  his  best  to  preserve  it,  and  would 
at  any  rate  be  a  witness  to  the  fact,  and 
to  its  not  being  owing  to  the  negligence 
or  any  other  fault  of  the  borrower  ;  con- 
sequently as  the  latter  was  not  required 
in  equity  to  make  it  good,  so  neither 
in  law.  As  to  the  final  clause,  'If  it  be 
an  hired  thing,  it  came  for  his  hire,'  it 
seems  to  indicate  a  distinction  between 
things  lent  for  hire,  and  those  lent  gra- 
tis for  good  will,  the  preceding  rule  ap- 
plying  only  to  the  latter ;  whereas  in 
the  former,  whether  the  owner  were 
present  or  not,  the  borrower  Avas  not 
required  to  make  restitution,  unless  in- 
deed the  owner  could  prove  that  the 
loss  was  occasioned  by  his  culpable 
maltreatment  or  neglect.  When  this 
was  not  the  case,  but  the  thing  were 
borrowed  on  the  condition  of  the  bor- 
So  called  because  to  Him  '  rower's  paying  so  much  for  the  use  of 
3* 


30 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


with  it,  he  shall  not  make  it  good  : 
if  it  be  a  hired  thing,  it  came  for 
his  hire. 

16  *[[  And  m  if  a  man  entice  a  maid 
that  is  not  betrothed,  and  lie  with 
iier,  he  shall  surely  endow  her  to 
be  his  Avife. 

m  Deut.  22.  28,  29. 

it,  then  the  loss  was  not  to  be  made 
good;  'it  came  for  his  hire;'  i.e.  the 
loss  was  to  be  considered  as  balanced 
by  the  profit  of  the  hire.  The  compen- 
sation agreed  upon  was  to  be  regarded 
as  an  olfset  to  the  hazard  run  by  the 
owner  in  letting  out  his  property  ;  and 
with  such  a  risk  in  view  he  would  natu- 
rally fix  liis  price  accordingly.  The 
more  these  statutes  are  examined,  the 
more  clearly  does  their  reasonable, 
equitable,  mild,  and  humane  spirit  ap- 
pear. 

Law  respecting  Seduction. 
16.  If  a  man  entice  a  maid,  &c.  Heb. 
ntlS'^  yephatteh,  enticingly  persuade. 
It  is  assumed  that  no  force  was  used, 
but  merely  persuasions  and  blandish- 
merits;  and  that  the  young  woman  was 
not  betrothed  to  another.  This  difler- 
ences  the  present  from  the  case  sup- 
jjosed  Deut.  22.  28,  where  it  is  to  be  un- 
derstood, both  that  the  maid  was  be- 
trothed, and  that  some  degree  of  vio- 
lence  was  used.  See  Note  in  loc.  The 
penalty  prescribed  for  the  seducer  in 
the  present  case,  was  that  he  should 
'  endow  her  to  be  his  wife,'  i.  e.  marry 
her  and  provide  for  her  suitably  accord- 
ing to  his  station.  If,  however,  the 
fatlier  did  not  choose  to  let  him  have 
her,  still  the  seducer  was  obliged  to  pay 
a  certain  sum  of  money  as  a  compen- 
sation for  the  injury.  The  amount  pre- 
scribed is  no  more  definitely  fixed  than 
by  the  terms,  'he  sliall  pay  money  ac- 
cording to  the  dowry  of  virgins.'  That 
is,  according  to  their  rank  and  condition 
in  life  ;  having  respect  to  their  parent- 
age, connexions,  and  prospects ;   as  a 


17  If  her  father  utterly  refuse  to 
give  her  unto  him,  he  shall  pay 
money  according  to  the  ^  dowry  of 
virgins. 

18  *il  o  Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a 
witch  to  live. 

nGen.  34.  12.     Deut.  22.  29.    1  Sam.  18.  25. 

0  Lev.  19.  2d,  31.  «fc  20.  27.     Deut.  18.10,11. 

1  Sam.28.  3,  9. 


maid  in  humble  circumstances  could 
not  reasonably  look  for  so  ample  a 
dowry  as  one  of  a  wealthy  or  distin- 
guished family.  It  has  indeed  been 
supposed  that  this  was  a  stated  mulct 
of  fii'ty  shekels,  but  the  passage  from 
which  this  conclusion  is  drawn  (Deut. 
22.  28.  29.)  refers  to  a  rape,  and  not  to 
simple  seduction. — It  might  appear  per- 
haps at  first  view  that  the  law  by  mere- 
ly appointing  to  the  seducer  marriage 
with  the  partner  of  his  crime,  and  ex- 
empting her  from  punisliment  alto- 
gether, was  too  mild  and  lenient  for 
such  an  offence.  But  it  is  to  be  con- 
sidered that  the  woman  suffered  the 
corporeal  and  visible  consequences,  and 
the  public  disgrace  ol' illicit  intercourse  ; 
and  as  to  the  man,  altliough  he  did  in- 
deed satisfy  the  civil  law  by  marrj'ing 
and  endowing  the  victim  of  his  lust, 
yet  in  the  sight  of  God  he  was  not 
cleared  from  the  guilt  of  his  sin  by  this 
mode  of  making  amends,  but  needed  the 
cleansing  of  deep  repentance  before  he 
could  obtain  absolution  from  his  Judge. 

Law  respecting  Witchcraft. 
18.  Thoti  shalt  not  suffer  a  witch  to 
live.  That  is,  a  reputed  or  professed 
witch  ;  a  woman  who  practised  such 
magical  arts,  incantations,  and  sorce- 
ries, as  gave  her  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing a  witch.  The  use  of  the  term,  how- 
ever, determines  nothing  as  to  the  real- 
ity of  the  preternatural  power  to  which 
such  persons  laid  claim.  The  Scrip- 
tures  are  v.'ont,  in  multitudes  of  in- 
stances,  to  speak  of  things  not  accord- 
ing to  their  absolute  verity,  but  accord- 
ing to  general   impression   and  belief. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXn. 


31 


The  remark  of  some  commentators, 
that  'if  there  had  been  no  witches  such 
a  law  as  this  had  never  been  made' — 
^  that  the  existence  of  the  law,  given 
under  the  direction  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
proves  the  existence  of  the  thing' — is 
founded  upon  a  very  inadequate  view  of 
the  general  structure  of  revelation.  The 
sacred  writers  speak  oi  false  gods,  for 
instance,  as  if  they  were  rcaZ  existences, 
but  we  see  at  once  how  gross  would  be 
the  error  of  such  an  interpretation.  So 
likewise  in  regard  to  witchcraft,  and 
all  those  arts  and  incantations  which 
are  based  upon  a  supposed  commerce 
with  evil  spirits.  We  do  not  consider 
the  assumption  of  the  reality  of  such 
intercourse  as  at  all  necessary  to  the 
true  explication  of  the  passages  in 
which  it  seems  to  be  implied,  nor  to 
the  enactment  of  such  laws  as  that  un- 
der consideration.  Pretended  arts  of 
this  nature  were  common  among  all 
the  idolatrous  nations  of  antiquity,  and 
from  their  intimate  connexion  with 
idolatrous  rites  and  systems,  were  ob- 
viously fraught  with  the  most  perni- 
cious effects  when  introduced  among 
the  chosen  people,  who  were  at  best 
but  too  much  addicted  to  superstitious 
practices.  However  false  and  futile  in 
themselves,  they  did,  in  fact,  involve  a 
deep  offence  against  the  very  first  prin- 
ciples of  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  and 
this  accounts  for  the  severity  with  which 
they  were  treated  by  its  laws.  They 
were  not  only  built  upon  systems  of 
theology  that  were  at  war  with  the  doc- 
trines and  worship  of  the  Theocracy, 
but  by  imposing  upon  the  credulity  and 
exciting  the  terrors  of  the  vulgar,  they 
gave  to  individuals  a  very  dangerous 
power,  in  a  society  so  singularly  con- 
stituted as  that  of  the  Hebrews,  The 
practising  of  these  arts  was  forbidden 
therefore  under  the  severest  penalties, 
as  the  mischief  actually  wrought  was 
about  equal,  whether  the  supernatural 
power  professed  were  a  reality  or  a  mere 
imposture. 


This  is  sufficient  to  justify  the  law  as 
here  and  elsewhere  enounced,  under  the 
circumstances  in  which  it  teas  given, 
but  as  the  subject  is  somewhat  curious 
and  interesting,  we  shall  devote  a  little 
more  time  to  the  consideration  of  the 
import  of  the  term  here  and  elsewhere 
employed  to  designate  the  class  of  per- 
sons against  whom  this  law  is  so  em- 
phatically  directed.  From  the  annexed 
passage,  occurring  Deut,  18.  9 — 14,  it 
is  perhaps  to  be  inferred  that  the  prac- 
tice thus  severely  denounced  was  not 
one  which  had  hitherto  been  common 
among  the  chosen  people,  but  was  one 
which  they  were  in  danger  of  learning 
from  the  heathen  inhabitants  of  Canaan ; 
'  When  thou  art  come  into  the  land 
which  the  Lord  thy  Gk)d  giveth  thee, 
thou  shall  not  learn  to  do  after  the 
abominations  of  those  nations.  There 
shall  not  be  found  among  you  any  one 
that  maketh  his  son  or  his  daughter  to 
pass  through  the  fire,  or  that  useth 
divination,  or  an  observer  of  times,  or 
an  enchanter,  or  a  witch,  or  a  charmer, 
or  a  consulter  with  familiar  spirits,  or 
a  wizard,  or  a  necromancer.  For  all 
that  do  these  things  are  an  abomination 
unto  the  Lord :  and  because  of  these 
abominations  the  Lord  your  God  doth 
drive  them  out  from  before  thee.  Thou 
shalt  be  perfect  with  the  Lord  thy  God. 
For  these  nations,  which  thou  shalt 
possess,  hearkened  unto  observers  of 
times,  and  unto  diviners  ;  but  as  for 
thee,  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  not  suffered 
thee  so  to  do.' 

In  the  passage  which  we  are  now 
considering  the  original  term  is  HC'iT-Ta 
mekashshephah,  the  fem.  of  C]123S?3  mc- 
kashsheph,  usually  rendered  magician 
or  sorcerer.  As  to  the  primitive  and 
most  elementary  sense  of  the  root  t\llJ'D 
kashaph,  it  is  a  point  which  philology 
has  not  yet  clearly  determined.  Mi- 
chaelis  refers  to  what  he  considers  the 
cognate  Arabic  root  kasapha,  signifying 
to  cut,  whence  in  the  time  of  a  solar  or 
lunar  eclipse  they  are  wont  to  say,  'God 


32 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


cuts  the  sun  or  the  moon  ;'  from  a  part 
of  the  luminary's  appearing  to  be  cut 
off  from  the  remainder.  Accordingly 
eclipses  of  the  sun  or  moon  are  called 
in  that  language  'kusuph,'  cutting; 
while  our  term  eclipse  comes  from  a 
Greek  word  signii^ying  fainting  or  fail- 
ing. Taking  this  derivation  as  a  basis, 
Michaelis  supposes  that  the  word,  in 
biblical  usage,  which  had  respect  to  the 
absurd  and  superstitious  notions  of  the 
times,  denotes  a  person  who  occasions 
solar  or  lunar  eclipses;  that  is,  from 
his  astronomical  knowledge  of  their 
approach  ;  making  all  manner  of  grim- 
aces, singing  songs,  and  so  affecting  to 
enchant  the  heavenly  bodies.  This, 
he  says,  corresponds  with  the  ancient 
rabbinical  notions  of  witchcraft,  which 
was  a  kind  of  unhallowed  perversion  or 
falsification  of  the  powers  of  nature, 
causing  them  to  operate  contrary  to  the 
true  meant  designs  of  their  author.  This 
etymology,  like  hundreds  of  others 
which  depend  upon  the  affinities  of 
Arabic  and  Hebrew,  though  possibly 
correct,  cannot  be  verified,  and  we  are 
in  fact  thrown  back  upon  the  biblical 
use  of  the  Piel  form  of  the  verb,  which 
is  universally  rendered  to  practise  pres- 
tige, to  use  incantations,  magic,  sorc- 
ery, in  a  word,  to  resort  to  the  arts  of 
witchcraft.  The  Greek  renders  it  by 
(papfjLaKovs,  poisoners,  probably  because 
these  sorcerers  dealt  much  in  drugs  or. 
pharmaceutical  potions,  to  which  potent 
effects  were  ascribed,  and  which  were 
often  deleterious.  But  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  this  is  a  fair  representation  of 
the  force  of  the  original  term.  As  the 
female  sex  were  supposed  to  be  more 
especially  addicted  to  this  kind  of  for- 
bidden craft,  the  word  here  occurs  in 
the  feminine,  and  is  rendered  by  a  term 
v/hich  perhaps  conveys  the  most  ade- 
quate notion  of  the  original.  Our  Eng- 
lish word  witch  is  supposed  to  be  de- 
rived from  the  verb  to  wit  (anciently  to 
weet,  i.  e.  to  know)  through  its  adjec- 
tive form  wittigh  or  wittich,  afterwards 


contracted  to  witch.  A  witch,  there- 
fore, in  its  etymological  import,  is  a 
knowing  woman,  as  wizard  (wise-ard) 
is  also  a  knowing,  cunning,  or  wise  man. 
But  the  knowledge  implied  by  the  terms 
is  of  a  peculiar  kind — a  knowledge  of 
occult  and  mysterious  things — a  skill 
in  disclosing  or  foretelling  matters  that 
lie  beyond  the  reach  of  ordinary  human 
intelligence,  and  supposed  to  be  ac- 
quired by  means  of  an  express  or  im- 
plicit compact  with  some  evil  spirit. 
Persons  of  this  imputed  character  were 
accordingly  invested,  by  popular  belief, 
with  the  power  of  altering,  in  many  in- 
stances,  the  course  of  nature's  immuta- 
ble laws,  of  raising  winds  and  storms, 
of  riding  through  the  air,  of  transform- 
ing themselves  into  various  shapes,  of 
afflicting  and  tormenting  those  who  had 
rendered  themselves  obnoxious  to  them, 
with  acute  pains  and  lingering  diseases; 
in  short,  to  do  whatever  they  pleased, 
through  the  agency  of  the  devil,  who 
was  supposed  to  be  always  obsequious 
to  their  beck  and  bidding.  The  belief 
in  the  reality  of  witchcraft,  clothed 
with  this  kind  of  supernatural  attri- 
butes, has  been  more  or  less  prevalent 
in  all  ages  and  countries,  and  in  periods 
of  abounding  ignorance  and  superstition, 
the  most  cruel  laws  have  been  framed 
against  its  alleged  professors,  and  mul- 
titudes of  innocent  persons,  male  and 
female,  many  of  them  aged,  poor,  friend- 
less, decrepid,  and  sick,  condemned  and 
burnt  for  powers  they  never  possessed, 
and  for  crimes  they  neither  premedi- 
tated nor  committed.  Happily  for  hu- 
manity, tliese  sanguinary  laws  have 
been  mostly  abolished  from  the  codes 
of  enlightened  modern  nations,  and  the 
prevention  or  cure  of  the  evils  of  mag- 
ical imposture  left  to  the  progress  of 
general  intelligence,  of  science,  and  in- 
structed piety  among  all  classes.  The 
faith  in  oracles  and  miracles,  tlie  le- 
gends of  superstition,  and  the  creations 
of  distempered  fancy  have  died  away 
in  Christian   countries  before  the  ad« 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXll 


33 


19  H  pWhosoever  lieth  with  a  beast 
shall  surely  be  put  to  death. 

P  Lev.  18.23.  &  20.  15. 

vancing  light  of  revelation,  and  little 
children  retire  to  bed  without  alarm, 
and  people  traverse  unfrequented  paths 
at  all  hours  and  seasons  without  the 
dread  of  witches  or  ghosts,  of  spells  or 
incantations.  For  our  highly  favored 
exemption  from  these  pernicious  forms 
of  superstitious  belief,  though  they  have 
indeed  sadly  darkened  one  period  of  the 
annals  of  our  own  country,  we  can  never 

be  sufficiently  grateful. IT  Skalt  not 

suffer  to  live.  Heb.  n'Tin  i^^  lo  teha- 
yeh,  lit.  shalt  not  vivify.  On  the  pecu- 
liar usage  of  this  term  we  have  else- 
where commented.  See  Note  on  Gen. 
6.  19.  Josh.  6.  25.  It  implies  in  some 
way  a  saving,  preserving,  continuing 
in  life,  after  a  virtual  extinction;  and 
the  import  may  be,  that  inasmuch  as  a 
practiser  of  witchcraft  is  to  be  con- 
sidered as  ipso  facto  condemned  to  death 
by  the  law  without  any  previous  form- 
ality of  trial  or  judicial  sentence  ;  the 
forbearing  to  execute  such  an  offender 
was  a  kind  o[  reanimation  or  resuscita- 
tion of  him  or  her  in  direct  contraven- 
tion of  the  divine  statute.  This  is,  per- 
haps, the  most  plausible  solution  of  a 
phraseology  of  which  Michaelis  inti- 
mates that  it  occasioned  him  no  little 
difficulty,  as  the  usual  mode  of  expres- 
sion in  the  Leviiical  penal  statutes  is 
ril?^"'  m)3  moth  yamuth,  he  or  she  dy- 
ing shall  die,  shall  die  the  death,  instead 
of  shall  not  be  suffered  to  live.  But  his 
proposal  to  read  n^ltl  i(b  shall  not  be, 
is  supported  by  no  authority  whatever  ; 
and  our  interpretation  renders  it  un- 
necessary. 

Law  respecting  Beastiality. 
19.  Whosoever  lieth,  &c.  This  was 
a  crime  of  such  crying  enormity  that 
the  earth  itself  was  defiled  by  bearing 
such  a  monster  of  impurity  as  its  per- 
petrator, and  he  was  at  once  to  be  cut 


20  M  q  He  that  sacrificeth  unto 

q  Numb.  25.  2,  7,  8.    Deut.  13.  1,  2,  5,  6,  9, 
13,  14,  15.  &  17.2,  3,5. 

off  from  among  the  living  without  mer- 
C3\  From  a  comparison  of  this  passage 
with  Lev.  ch.  IS.  20,  it  appears  that 
this  was  one  of  the  prevalent  abomina- 
tions of  the  Canaanites,  from  which  the 
Israelites  were  to  shrink  with  a  holy 
horror,  and  in  order  to  deepen  the  im- 
pression of  its  ineffable  turpitude  and 
atrocity,  the  abused  beast  was  to  be  in- 
volved in  the  doom  of  the  more  brute- 
like offender. 

Law  respecting  Idolatrous  Sacrifices. 
20,  He  that  sacrificeth,  &c.  This  is 
clearly  the  sin  prohibited  in  the  first 
commandment  of  the  Decalogue,  but  it 
is  enumerated  also  under  the  judicial 
lajvs,  and  marked  with  the  punishment 
of  death,  not  only  because  it  was  a  high 
handed  moral  offence,  but  also  a  crime 
against  the  state.  Under  the  theocracy, 
as  we  have  before  remarked,  God  was 
the  national  king  of  Israel,  and  idolatry 
being  the  virtual  acknowledgment  of  an- 
other sovereign,  was  of  course,  to  be  ac- 
counted as  nothing  less  than  downright 
rebellion  or  treason  against  the  supreme 
authority.  Sacrificing,  being  the  princi- 
pal act  of  religious  worship  among  the 
heathen,  is  selected  as  the  overt  act  of 
idolatry,  which  constituted  the  capital 
offence ;  although  under  this  name  are 
doubtless  included  the  various  idolatrous 
services  specified  in  the  parallel  law, 

Deut.  17. 2—5. IT  Shall  be  utterly  des- 

troyed.  Heb.  d'^iH"-  yohoram,  anathema- 
trzed,  i.e.  destroyed  as  execrable  and  ac- 
cursed, put  to  death  without  mercy,  as 
the  original  tlin  herem,  a  devoted  thing, 
an  anathema,  implies.  Gr.  e^oXoOpcv- 
6r](T£Tai,  shall  he  destroyed.  Chal.  'Shall 
be  killed.'  Targ.  Jon.  'Shall  be  killed 
with  the  sword  and  his  goods  consumed.' 
This  law,  however,  is  understood  by 
the  Hebrew  canonists  of  a  knowing  and 
wilful  idolater,  soch  an  one  as  is  de? 


34 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149 J. 


amj  god,  save  unto  the  Lord  only, 
he  shall  be  utterly  destroyed. 

21  H  r  Thou  shalt  neither  vex  a 
stranger,  nor  oppress  him :  for 
ye  were  strangers  in  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

22  lis  Ye  shall  not  afflict  any 
widow,  or  fatherless  child. 

rch.  23.9.  Lev.  19.  33.  &  25.  35.  Deut.  10. 
19.  .ler.  7.  6.  Zech.  7.  10.  Mai.  3.  5.  s  Deut. 
10.  18.  &  24.  17.  &  27.  19.  Ps.  94.  6.  Isai.  1. 
17,  23.  &  10.  2.  Ezek.  22.  7.  Zech.  7.  10. 
James  1.  27. 

scribed  Num.  15.  27,  30,  as  sinning 
'with  a  high  hand.'  They  thus  speak  of 
it ;  'Whoso  serveth  idols  willingly  and 
presumptuously,  he  is  exposed  to  cut- 
ling  off  (i.  e.  by  the  secret  stroke  of 
God);  and  if  there  be  witnesses  that 
have  seen  him,  he  is  to  be  stoned  to 
death.  But  if  he  have  served  them  ig- 
norantly,  he  is  to  bring  the  sin-offering 
appointed  therefor.' 

Law  respecting  the  Treatment  of  the 
Stranger,  the  Widoiv,  and  the  Father- 
less. 

21.  Thou  shalt  neither  vex  a  stranger, 
nor,kc.  Heb.  TOIt^  toneh,  afflict,  dis- 
tress. The  distinction  made  by  the 
Jewish  critics  between  '  vex'  and  '  op- 
press' is,  that  the  former  refers  to  up- 
braiding and  opprobrious  uvrds,  while 
the  latter  points  to  injurious,  oppres- 
sive, and  cruel  actions,  more  especially 
in  matters  of  traffic  and  other  busi- 
ness transactions.  By  '  stranger,'  here 
is  not  meant  a  transient  passenger 
through  the  territories  of  the  Israelites, 
but  a  permanent  sojourner  ;  though  not 
an  owner  of  land.  That  such  foreign 
residents  dwelt  among  the  chosen  peo- 
ple is  evident  from  numerous  passages, 
and  as  tlie  somewhat  exclusive  genius 
of  the  Hebrew  polity  might  tend  to  sub- 
ject them  to  vexatious  or  humiliating 
treatment,  God  saw  fit  to  protect  them 
by  several  different  statutes.  Accord- 
ingly we  frequently  find  them  conjoined 
with  other  classes  of  mankind  that  are 
specially  entitled  to  compassion,  as  the 


23  If  thou  afflict  them  in  any  wise, 
and  they  t  cry  at  all  unto  me,  I  will 
surely  «  hear  their  cry  ; 

24  And  my  ^  wrath  shall  Avax 
hot,  and  I  will  kill  you  with  the 
sword  ;  and  y  your  wives  shall  be 
widows,  and  your  children  father- 
less. 

tDeut.  15.  9.  &  24.  15.  Job  35.  9.  Luke 
18.  7.  u  ver.  23.  Job  34.  28.  Ps.  18.  6.  & 
145.19.  James  5.  4.  x  Job  31.  23.  Ps,  69. 
24.     y  Ps,  109.  9.     Lam.  5.  3. 

poor,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan.  It 
was  in  fact  an  object  of  heaven  to  allure 
strangers  by  kind  usage  to  live  among 
the  Israelites,  provided  they  did  not 
practice  idolatry  or  violate  the  laws ; 
and  in  order  that  they  might  be  induced 
to  think  favorably  of  the  true  religion 
and  at  length  to  embrace  it,  they  were 
to  be  exempted  from  any  such  harsh  or 
harrassing  treatment  as  would  tend  to 
harden  their  minds  in  prejudice  or  drive 
them  back  among  idolaters.  The  duty 
of  thus  behaving  kindly  to  strangers 
is  enforced  by  reminding  the  Israelites 
of  their  having  been  themselves  once 
strangers,  and  nothing  is  plainer  than 
that  our  own  experience  of  priva- 
tion and  distress  should  school  us  to 
a  lively  sympathy  with  the  like  suffer- 
ing of  our  fellow-creatures.  The  op- 
pression of  strangers  may  well  be  term- 
ed '  an  Egyptian  sin,  deserving  of  Egyp- 
tian plagues.' 

22 — 24.  Ye  shall  not  afflict  any  widow, 
&c.  In  these  verses  the  humane  and 
compassionate  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  law 
shines  very  conspicuous.  Jeliovah  here 
avows  himself  the  husband  of  the  widow 
and  the  father  of  the  orphan.  He  vir 
tually  says  of  himself,  what  is  emphati- 
cally affirmed  by  the  Psalmist,  Ps.  68. 
5,  'A  father  of  the  fatherless  and  a 
judge  of  the  widow,  is  God  in  his  holy 
habitation.'  In  thus  forbidding  his  peo- 
ple to  afflict  widows  and  orphans  he 
does  in  fact  enjoin  it  upon  them  to  com- 
fort and  assist  them,  and  to  be  ready  on 
all  occasions  to  show  them  kindness. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


35 


25  '^  ^  If  thou  lend  money  to  a?ii/  |  of  my  people  that  ts  poor  by  thee, 

'  thou  shalt  not  be  to   him  as  an 
usurer,  neither  shalt  thou  lay  upon 


z  Lev.  25.  33,  36,  37.  Deut.  23.  19,  20.  Neh 
5.7.     Ps.  15.  5.     Ezek.  IS.  8,  17. 


Being  deprived  in  the  providence  of 
God  of  their  natural  guardians,  and  be- 
ing themselves  unversed  in  business,  and 
of  a  timorous  and  tender  spirit,  their 
destitute  condition  laid  them  peculiarly 
open  to  the  deceitful  arts,  impositions, 
and  oppression  of  unprincipled  men. 
And  although  no  one  could  take  an  un- 
righteous advantage  of  these  circum- 
stances without  doing  violence  to  some 
of  the  strongest  instinctive  impulses  in 
his  owii  breast,  yet  God  is  pleased  by 
this  law  to  give  additional  force  to  the 
native  sentiments  of  compassion  and 
kindness  which  might  be  supposed  to 
operate  in  favor  of  the  friendless  and 
fatherless.  He  declares  that  their  case 
shall  come  under  his  particular  cog- 
nizance. If  any  hardship  is  put  upon 
them  from  which  a  husband  and  a  father 
would  have  sheltered  them,  he  will  in- 
terpose and  act  the  part  of  a  vindicator 
and  protector.  Having  no  one  else  to 
complain  and  appeal  to,  if  they  cry  unto 
him  he  will  assuredly  hear  and  avenge 
them.  If  men  will  not  pity  them,  he 
will.  And  this  no  doubt  accounts  for 
the  fact  that  no  particular  penalty  is 
prescribed  for  the  violation  of  this  stat- 
ute. God  himself  undertakes  to  avenge 
their  cause  by  the  retributions  of  his 
providence ;  and  nothing  could  more 
impressively  show  tlie  divine  abhorrence 
of  the  sin.  It  was  no  common  sin,  and 
therefore  was  to  be  punished  in  no  com- 
mon way.  The  equity  of  the  sentence 
denounced  is  too  obvious  to  be  over- 
looked. The  oppressors  of  widows  and 
orphans  shall  be  punished  in  kind  ;  their 
wives  shall  become  widows,  and  their 
children  fatherless.  And  even  at  the 
present  day  the  judgments  of  heaven 
upon  this  class  of  men  are  strikingly 
analogous  to  what  is  here  threatened. 
Those  whom  God  makes  his  especial 


him  usurv 


charge  can  never  be  injured  or  assailed 
with  impunity.  Let  the  .parallel  mo- 
nition therefore  of  the  wise  man  be 
reverently  regarded,  Prov.  23.  10,  II, 
'Remove  not  the  old  landmark;  and 
enter  not  into  the  fields  of  the  father- 
less ;  for  their  Redeemer  is  mighty  ;  he 
shall  plead  their  cause  with  thee.' 

Law  respecting  Usury  and  Pledge. 

25.  If  thou  lend  money  to  any  of  my 
people  that  is  poor  by  thee.  Rather, 
according  to  the  letter  of  the  original, 
'If  thou  lend  money  to  my  people,  even 
to  a  poor  man  with  thee.'  The  Israel- 
ites were  a  people  but  little  engaged  in 
commerce,  and  therefore  could  not  in 
general  be  supposed  to  borrow  money 
but  from  sheer  necessity ;  and  of  that 
necessity  the  lender  was  not  to  take  ad- 
vantage by  usurious  exactions.  The  law 
is  not  to  be  understood  as  a  prohibition 
of  interest  at  any  rate  whatever,  but  of 
excessive  interest  or  usury.  The  clause, 
'Thou  shalt  not  be  to  him  as  an  usurer,' 
is  equivalent  to  saying,  'Thou  shalt  not 
domineer  and  lord  it  over  him  rigorous- 
ly and  cruelly.'  That  this  class  of  men 
were  peculiarly  prone  to  be  extortionate 
and  oppressive  in  their  dealings  with 
debtors  would  seem  to  be  implied  by 
the  etymology  of  the  original  term  for 
usury  ("IIDD  nesAcA:),  which  comes  from 
a  root  signifying  to  bite;  and  in  Neh.  5. 
2 — 5,  we  have  a  remarkable  case  of  the 
bitter  and  grinding  effects  resulting 
from  the  exercise  of  the  creditor's  rights 
over  the  debtor.  A  large  portion  of  the 
people  had  not  only  mortgaged  their 
lands,  vineyards,  and  houses,  but  had 
actually  sold  their  sons  and  daughters 
into  bondage  to  satisfy  the  claims  of 
their  grasping  creditors.  In  this  emer- 
gency Nehemiah  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  poor,  and  compelled  the  rich,  against 


36 


EXODUS. 


[i^.  C.  1491, 


26  a  If  thou  at  all  take  thy  neigh- 
bour's   raiment    to    pledge,    thou 
shalt  deliver  it  unto  him  by  ihat 
the  sun  goeth  down  : 
27  For  that  is  his  covering  only, 

a  Deut.  24.  6,  10,  13, 17.  Job  22.  6.  &  24.  3, 
9.  Prov.  20.  16.  &  22.  27.  Ezek.  18.  7,  16. 
Amos  2.  8. 

whom  he  called  the  people  together,  to 
remit  the  whole  of  their  dues,  and  more- 
over exacted  from  them  an  oath  that 
they  would  never  afterwards  press  their 
poor  brethren  for  the  payment  of  those 
debts.  This  was  not  because  every  piirt 
of  those  proceedings  had  been  contrary 
to  the  letter  of  the  Mosaic  law,  but  be- 
cause it  was  a  flagrant  breach  of  equity 
under  the  circumstances.  It  was  tak- 
ing a  cruel  and  barbarous  advantage 
of  the  necessities  of  their  brethren  at 
which  God  was  highly  indignant,  and 
which  his  servants  properly  rebuked. 
From  this  law  the  Hebrew  canonists 
have  gathered  as  a  general  rule,  that 
'  whoso  exacteth  of  a  poor  man,  and 
knoweth  that  he  hath  not  aught  to  pay 
him  with,  he  transgresseth  against  this 
prohibition,  Thou  shalt  not  be  to  him 
as  an  exacting  creditor.'  {Maimonides 
in  Ainsworth).  We  no  where  learn 
from  the  institutes  delivered  by  Moses 
that  the  simple  taking  of  interest,  es- 
pecially from  the  neighboring  nations, 
Deut.  23.  19,  20,  was  forbidden  to  the 
Israelites,  but  the  divine  law  would  give 
no  countenance  to  the  griping  and  ex- 
tortionate practices  to  which  miserly 
money-lenders  are  always  prone.  The 
deserving  and  industrious  poor  might 
sometimes  be  reduced  to  such  straits  that 
pecuniary  accommodations  might  be 
very  desirable  to  them,  and  toward  such 
God  would  inculcate  a  mild,  kind,  and 
forbearing  spirit,  and  the  precept  is  en- 
forced by  the  relation  which  they  sus- 
tained to  him ;  q.  d.,  'Remember  that 
you  are  lending  to  my  people,  my  poor, 
and  therefore  take  no  advantage  of  their 
necessities.    Trust  me  against  the  fear 


it  is  his  raiment  for  his  skin  : 
w^herein  shall  he  sleep?  and  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  when  he  ticrieth 
unto  me,  that  I  will  hear ;  for  I  am 
c  ofracious. 


h  ver.  23.     c  ch.  34.  6.    2  Chron.  30,  9.    Fs. 
86.  15. 


of  loss,  and  treat  them  kindly  and  gen- 
erously.' 

26,  27.  Iffhou  at  all  take  thy  neigh- 
bor's raiment  to  pledge,  &:c.  'This  pas- 
sage, which  describes  a  poor  man  as 
sleeping  at  night  in  his  outer  garment, 
exhibits  one  of  the  many  unchanged 
customs  of  the  East.  The  orientals 
generally,  of  whatever  rank,  do  not  un- 
dress at  night.  They  merely  throw  off 
their  outer  and  looser  robes,  unwind 
their  turbans  and  vast  waist-cloth,  sleep- 
ing in  their  caps,  shirt,  drawers,  waist- 
coat, and  gown.  The  common  people 
very  often  do  not  sleep  at  all  in  what 
we  should  call  a  bed.  The  details  of 
their  management  of  course  depend 
much  on  the  particular  costume  of  the 
country;  but,  speaking  generally,  a  poor 
man  is  quite  content  to  make  his  cloak 
and  waist-cloth  serve  for  a  bed,  lying 
on  one  of  the  two  and  covering  himself 
with  the  other,  or  else  making  the  cloak 
or  the  girdle  alone  serve  all  Ins  pur- 
poses. A  mat,  rug,  or  piece  of  carpet 
is  all  he  desires  to  render  his  bed  more 
luxurious.  These  observations  particu- 
larly apply  to  the  Bedouin  Arabs,  al- 
though true  also  of  other  Asiatic  coun- 
tries, and  is  not  peculiar  to  Asia,  for, 
while  travelling  in  Russia,  we  have 
often,  on  passing  through  towns  and  vil- 
lages at  night  or  early  in  the  morning, 
seen  great  numbers  of  men  lying  about 
on  the  ground  wrapped  up  in  their  sheep- 
skin cloaks.  The  poor  desert  Arab, 
whose  dress  is  little  more  than  a  shirt 
and  a  woollen  mantle,  is  content  to  use 
the  latter  for  his  bed  and  bed-clothes 
when  he  has  nothing  better ; — drawing 
ing  it  over  his  head — for  an  Arab  al- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


37 


2S   H  J  Thou  shalt  not  revile  the 

d  Eccles.  10.  20.     Acts  23.  5.     Jiide  8. 

ways  covers  his  head  whether  he  sleeps 
by  day  or  night — and  gathering  up  his 
feet,  he  sleeps  with  as  much  apparent 
ease  and  comfort  as  on  a  down-bed,  his 
lough  frame  seeming  quite  unconscious 
of  the  hardness  of  the  ground  and  the 
asperities  of  its  surface.  There  is  no 
people  of  the  East  whose  costume  seems 
to  have  remained  with  so  little  altera- 
tion from  the  most  ancient  times  as 
that  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Arabian 
deserts ;  or  which  is  so  susceptible  of 
being,  in  most  cases,  identified  with  the 
dress  worn  by  the  ancient  Jews.  We 
should  therefore,  perhaps,  not  be  much 
mistaken  in  considering  the  garment  of 
the  text  as  nearly  resembling  the  sim- 
ple woollen  mantle  of  the  present  Arabs. 
It  is  nearly  square,  reaching  from  the 
shoulders  to  the  calf  of  the  leg,  or  even 
to  the  ancles,  and  about  as  wide  as  long. 
A  square  sack,  having  in  front  a  slit 
from  top  to  bottom,  a  hole  at  the  top 
for  the  neck,  and  a  slit  on  each  side  for 
the  arms,  would  give  a  good  idea  of  this 
shapeless  but  useful  article  of  dress. 
Garments  of  the  kind  indicated  are  of 
various  qualities  and  texture.  Some 
are  very  light  and  fine,  with  embroid- 
ery in  silk,  silver,  or  gold,  or  gold  on  the 
breast  and  between  the  shoulders ;  but 
the  common  sort  are  coarse  and  heavy, 
commonly  with  alternate  stripes,  a  foot 
wide,  of  blue  and  white,  or  brown  and 
white,  but  frequently  all  black  or  brown. 
This  robe,  called  an  abba,  is  commonly 
worn  loosely  on  the  shoulders,  as  the 
Irish  peasantry  wear  their  great  coats  ; 
but  when  active  exertion  is  required  it 
is  either  thrown  aside,  or  is  drawn  close 
around  the  body  and  fastened  by  a  gir- 
dle, the  arms  being  then  necessarily 
thrust  through  the  arm-holes.  This  ar- 
ticle of  dress  is  certainly  as  indispensa- 
ble to  a  poor  Arab,  as  the  garment  of 
the  text  could  be  to  a  poor  Jew.'    Pict. 

Bible. IT  Thou  shalt  deliver  it  unto 

Vol..  II.  4 


gods,  nor  curse  the  ruler  of  thy 
people. 

him  by  that  the  sun  goeth  down.  But 
it  may  be  asked  whether  a  formal  law 
would  be  framed  in  respect  to  articles 
given  in  pledge  but  for  a  single  day  ? 
The  implication  undoubtedly  is,  that 
the  pledge  was  restored  for  the  night 
only,  and  was  returned  to  the  cred- 
itor by  day.  Here  again  the  Hebrew 
canons  opportunely  offer  their  deduc- 
tions. 'When  one  takes  a  pledge  of 
his  neighbor,  if  he  be  a  poor  man,  and 
his  pledge  be  a  thing  that  he  hath  need 
of,  it  is  commanded  that  he  restore  the 
pledge  at  tlie  time  when  he  needeth  it. 
He  is  to  restore  him  his  bedding  at 
night,  that  he  may  sleep  on  it,  and  his 
working-tools  by  day,  that  he  may  do 
his  work  with  them.  If  he  do  not  re- 
store the  instruments  of  the  day  by 
day,  and  the  instruments  of  the  night 
by  night,  he  transgresseth  against  the 
prohibition.  Thou  shalt  not  sleep  with 
his  pledge,.  Deut.  24.  12.  (Maimonides 
in  Ainsworth) . 

Law  respecting  the  Contempt  of 
Authority. 
28.  Thou  shalt  not  revile  the  gods. 
Heb.  D'lfl^l!^  Elohim;  i.  e.  the  judges, 
rulers,  magistrates.  See  Note  on  Ex. 
21.  6.  Thus  Eccl.  10.  20,  'Curse  not  the 
king  ;  no,  not  in  thy  thought.'  Yet  it  is 
remarkable  that  both  Philo  and  Josephus 
understand  this  precept  as  prohibiting 
the  blaspheming  or  reviling  of  the  gods 
of  the  heathen.  The  former  thinks  that 
the  Deity  should  be  to  us  an  object  of 
such  sacred  veneration,  that  we  ought 
not  even  to  blaspheme  what  is  errone- 
ously accounted  divine ;  and  that  the 
heathen  would,  out  of  zeal  and  by  way 
of  rataliation,  blaspheme  the  true  God, 
if  he  heard  the  Jew  blaspheming  his 
gods.  The  latter,  in  detailing,  in  his 
'Antiquities,'  the  laws  of  Moses,  quotes 
this  as  one  of  them;  'No  man  shall 
blaspheme    those   that    are    accounted 


38 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


gods  by  other  cities ;  nor  shall  any  man 
be  guilty  of  sacrilege  in  strange  sanctu- 
aries, or  purloin  what  is  consecrated  to 
a  god  ;'  and  in  his  treatise  against  Apion, 
he  has  these  words  ;  'The  Jews  adhere 
to  the  customs  of  their  fathers  without 
concerning  themselves  with  those  of 
strangers,  or  deriding  them.  Their  le- 
gislator expressly  prohibited  them  from 
deriding  or  blaspheming  those  whom 
others  accounted  gods,  and  that  out  of 
respect  to  the  title  Gods,  which  they 
love.'  It  may  be  admitted,  perhaps^ 
that  there  is  nothing  absolutely  repug- 
nant to  our  ideas  of  moral  fitness  in  this 
sense  of  the  passage,  and  yet  there  is 
very  little  reason  to  believe  it  the  true 
sense;  for  the  parallel  clause,  'nor 
curse  the  ruler  of  thy  people,'  seems 
sufficiently  to  restrict  and  define  the 
scope  of  the  statute.  But  it  is  to  be  rec- 
ollected that  when  Philo  and  Josephus 
wrote,  the  Jews  were  subjected  to  the 
Romans,  a  heathen  people,  and  they 
would  be  apt,  wherever  it  were  possi- 
ble, to  put  such  a  construction  upon  the 
precepts  of  their  religion  as  would  tend 
to  procure  for  it  the  favorable  regard  of 
their  masters,  and  prevent  their  deem- 
ing it  intolerant.  And  there  is  no  doubt 
something  unreasonable  and  offensive 
in  the  thought  of  pouring  contempt  up- 
on, or  uttering  blasphemy  against,  the 
gods  and  the  religion,  however  false,  of 
those  under  whose  protection  we  live. 
But  the  laws  given  by  Moses  did  not  con- 
template the  chosen  people  in  such  a  con- 
dition. They  were  not  given  to  a  nation 
subjected  to  foreign  dominion,  but  to  a 
free  people,  independent  and  isolated, 
among  whom  every  approach  to  idolatry 
was  strictly  prohibited,  and  who  were 
not  required  to  know  any  but  the  true 
religion.  And  although  we  find  no  gratu- 
itous disparaging  or  reviling  of  the  gods 
of  the  heathen,  yet  when  needs  be  we 
find  Moses  himself  speaking  contemptu- 
ously of  them  as  abominations  and  idols, 
and  in  the  prophets  such  language  is  of 
much  more  frequent  occurrence.    The 


law  in  this  place  undoubtedly  explains 
itself  by  the  clause  that  follows,  and  a 
moment's  reflection  will  convince  us 
that  the  institution  of  magistracy  can- 
not attain  the  ends  for  which  it  was  de- 
signed, unless  the  persons  of  rulers  be 
clothed  with  a  degree  of  sanctity  that 
shall  shield  them  from  popular  reproach. 
One  reason  undoubtedly  why  the  name 
of  '  God'  was  applied  to  magistrates 
was,  that  the  office  might  be  sanctified 
in  general  estimation,  and  that  the  con- 
science of  him  who  held  the  office  might 
be  duly  influenced  by  the  consideration, 
that  he  was  in  a  sense  acting  as  God's 
vicegerent  and  representing  his  person, 
authority,  and  attributes  among  men. 
Accordingly  we  find  the  apostle  Paul 
distinctly  recognising  the  obligation  of 
this  law  even  in  respect  to  one  who  was 
in  fact  a  most  unrighteous  persecutor, 
Acts,  23.  2—5,  'And  the  high  priest 
Ananias  commanded  them  that  stood 
by  him,  to  smite  him  on  the  mouth. 
Then  said  Paul  unto  him,  God  shall 
smite  thee,  thou  whited  wall :  for  sit- 
test  thou  to  judge  me  after  the  law,  and 
commandest  me  to  be  smitten  contrary 
to  the  law?  And  they  that  stood  by, 
said,  Revilest  thou  God's  high  priest? 
Then  said  Paul,  I  wist  not,  brethren, 
that  he  was  the  high  priest :  for  it  is 
written,  Thou  shalt  not  speak  evil  of 
the  ruler  of  thy  people.'  It  is  observ- 
able that  no  penalty  is  annexed  to  the 
breach  of  this  law,  either  because  it 
was  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  judges, 
or  because  it  was  one  of  those  cases 
which  distinguish  this  from  all  human 
codes,  where  God  saw  fit  to  express  so 
much  confidence  in  the  moral  sense  im- 
planted in  the  breasts  of  his  creatures, 
as  to  appeal  to  that  alone.  He  leavea 
the  law  in  this  and  the  ensuing  verses 
in  this  chapter  to  their  own  binding  force 
upon  the  consciences  of  those  to  whom 
they  are  addressed. — ^  Norcui'se.  Heb 
"IHin  taor,  which  though  usually  ren- 
dered 'curse'  is  by  Paul,  Acts  23.  5,  ex- 
plained as  equivalent  to  'speak  evil  of.' 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


39 


29  H  Thou  shall  not  delay  to  offer  \  unto  me :  k  neither  shall  ye  eat  any 
•  the  first  of  thy  ripe  fruits,  and  of  I  flesh  that  is  torn  of  beasts  in  the 
thy  liquors:   f  ihe  first-born  of  thy  I  field;  ye  shall  cast  it  to  the  dogs. 
■     -         •  1  CHAPTER  XXIII. 


sons  shalt  thou  give  unto  me. 

30  g  Likewise  shalt  thou  do  with 
thine  oxen,  and  with  thy  sheep : 
h  seven  days  it  shall  be  with  his 
dam ;  on  the  eighth  day  thou  shalt 
give  it  me. 

31  U  And  ye  shall  be  Jholy  men 

e  ch.  23.  16,  19.  Prov.  3.  9.  f  ch.  13.  2,  12. 
&  34.19.  SDeut.  15.  19.  h  Lev.  22.  27.  i  ch. 
19.6.     Lev.  19.  2.     Deat.  14.21. 

Laio  respecting  Firstlings. 

29.  Thou  shalt  not  delay  to  offer  the 
first,  &c.  Heb.  *iriit^)2  meliatheka,  thy 
fulness;  i.  e.  fruits  of  full  maturity, 
ripe  enough  to  be  gathered.  Gr.  airap- 
^ag  a\o}vog,  the  first  fruits  of  thy  floor. 

^  Of  thy  liquors.     Heb.  "T^'S'Tll  di- 

maka,  thy  tear;  i.  e.  the  first  fruits  of 
wine  and  oil,  which  when  pressed,  distil 
and  drop  as  tears.  The  due  observance 
of  this  law  would  be  a  general  acknow- 
ledgement of  the  bounty  and  goodness 
of  God,  who  had  given  them  the  early 
and  latter  rains  and  crowned  the  toils 
of  agriculture  with  an  ample  harvest. 
This  expression  of  gratitude  was  not  to 
be  delayed,  for  delay  in  rendering  to 
God  the  first  fruits  would  argue  a  secret 

unwillingness    to  yield  him  any. 

IT  The  first-born  of  thy  sons,  &c.  See 
Note  on  Ex.  13.  2. 

30.  Seven  days  it  shall  be  with  his 
dam.  This  ordinance  probably  carries 
an  allusion  to  the  dedication  of  a  hu- 
man being  to  God  by  the  rite  of  circum- 
cision. As  this  was  to  take  place  on 
the  eighth  day,  so  no  animal  was  to  be 
presented  before  the  eighth  day  from 
its  birth.  Indeed,  before  this  the  pro- 
cess of  nutrition  in  a  young  animal  can 
scarcely  be  considered  as  completely 
formed. 

Law  respecting  Things  not  to  be  eaten. 

31.  Ye  shall  be  holy  men  unto  me, 
&c.     Heb.  IZJIp   "iri2i^  anshe  kodesh, 


THOU  a  shalt  not  raise  a  false  re- 
port :  put  not  thine  hand  with 
the  wicked  to  be  an  ^  unrighteous 
witness. 

k  Lev.  22.  8.  Ezek.  4.  14.  &  44.  31.  a  ver.  7. 
Lev.  19.  16.  Ps.  15.  3.  &  101.  5.  Prov.  10. 18. 
See  2  Sam.  19.  27.  with  16.  3.  b  ch.  20.  16. 
Deut.  19.  16,  17,  18.  Ps.35.  11.  Prov.  19.  5, 
9,28.  &  24.  28.  See  1  Kings  21.  10, 13.  Matt. 
26.59,60,61.     Acts6.  11,  13. 


men  of  holiness;  i.  e.  men  separated 
and  distinguished  from  others  not  only 
by  inward  principles,  but  by  outward 
observances,  among  which  this  of  ab- 
stinence from  unclean  meats  is  one. 
This  was  to  be  a  mark  of  that  honor- 
able distinction  which  was  to  pertain  to 
the  chosen  people,  who  were  not  to  de- 
mean themselves  to  eat  of  the  leavings 
of  beasts  of  prey,  especially  as  they 
would  be  apt  to  contain  blood,  which 
was  forbidden,  and  might  also  have 
been  torn  to  pieces  by  unclean  or  rabid 
animals.  The  words  are  perhaps  to  be 
considered  moreover  as  carrying  with 
them  a  latent  intimation  that  the  holi- 
ness of  the  people  of  God  depends  in 
great  measure  upon  their  obedience  in 
small  matters. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Law  respecting  Slander. 
1.  Thou  shalt  not  raise  a  false  report, 
&c.  Heb.  i^TO  S'?:^  fc^rjn  5<^  lo  tissa 
shema  shav,  thou  shalt  not  take  up  (or 
receive)  a  hearing  of  vanity  (or  fals- 
ity). The  primary  import  of  the  orig- 
inal J*tD3  nasa,  is  to  raise  or  lift  up,  to 
elevate;  but  it  occurs  also  in  the  sense 
of  taking,  receiving,  assuming.  Thus 
too  the  Gr.  ov  rapaSe^rj  aKorju  ^laraiav^ 
thou  shalt  not  receive  a  vain  hearsay. 
Chal. '  Thou  shalt  not  receive  a  false  ru- 
mor.' The  idea  conveyed  by  the  orig- 
inal term  rendered  'false,'  has  a  close 
affinity  with  that  expressed  by  the  word 


40 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


2  H  c  Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  mal- 

c  Gen.  7.  1.  &  19.  4,7.  ch.  32.  1,2.  Jo.sh. 
24.  15.  1  Shiti.  15,  9.  1  Kings  19  10.  Job 
31.34.  Prov.  1.  10,  11,  15.  <fe  4.  !4.  Matt.  27. 
24,  26.  Mark  15.  15.  Luke  23.  23.  Acts  24. 
27.  &  25,  9. 

'vain,'  as  is  shown  in  the  Note  on  Ex. 
20.  16.  And  the  prohibition  comes  ob- 
viously under  that  of  the  ninth  com- 
mandment. The  Hebrew  word  for 
'raise/  is  of  sufficient  latitude,  in  its 
legitimate  sense,  to  imply  both  the 
origination  and  the  propagation  of  a 
false  report.  Targ.  Jon.  'O  my  people, 
ye  sons  of  Israel,  receive  not  lying 
words  from  him  who  would  calumniate 
his  neighbor  before  thee.'  The  precept 
is  no  doubt  of  general  application,  equiv- 
alent to  saying.  Thou  shalt  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  any  false  reports  ;  yet  it 
seems  designed  to  have  special  refer- 
ence to  judicial  proceedings.,  where  a 
false  report  or  accusation  might  do  a 
man  the  greatest  injury.  He  who  in- 
vents a  slander,  and  first  raises  a  false 
or  vain  report,  and  he  who  receives  and 
propagates  it,  are  at  all  times  very 
criminal ;  but  the  iniquity  is  most  atro- 
cious when  the  calumny  is  advanced 
and  taken  up  in  a  court  of  justice.  Yet 
when  we  remember  how  many  there 
must  have  been  acting  in  a  judicial  ca- 
pacity amongst  the  Israelites,  who  had 
judges  of  tens  as  well  as  of  fifties  and 
hundreds  ;  and  when  we  consider  also, 
how  generally  in  our  own  and  other 
Christian  countries,  men  are  occasion- 
ally called  to  sit  as  jurors,  we  shall 
perceive  how  wide  is  its  just  applica- 
tion, and  feel  that  no  precept  is  of  more 
importance  in  regulating  the  private  in- 
tercourse of  individuals.  'The  original 
i^'iLTi  V<ib  lo  tissa  has  been  translated^ 
'thou  shalt  not  publish.'  Were  there 
no  publishers  of  slander  and  calumny, 
there  would  be  no  receivers;  and  were 
there  none  to  receive  them  there  would 
be  none  to  raise  them  ;  and  w^ere  there 
no  raisers,  receivers,  nor  propagators 
of  calumnies,  lies,  &c.,  society  would 


titude  to  do  evil ;  d  neither  shalt 
thou  speak  in  a  cause  to  decline 
after  many  to  wrest  judgment : 

d  ver.  C,  7.    Lev.  19.  15.    Deut.  1.  17.    Ps. 
72.  2. 


be  in  peace.'  A.  Clarke.  Prov.  17.  4, 
'  A  wicked  doer  giveth  heed  to  false 

lips.' V  Put  not  thine  hand  with  the 

wicked,  &C.     Gr.  ov  cvyKaTaaOrjar],  thou 

shalt  not  consent.  It  is  an  allusion  to 
the  act  of  joining  hands  as  a  sign  of  en- 
tering into  a  compact,  or  of  cordially 
uniting  in  the  same  enterprise  ;  of  which 
the  wise  man,  Proverbs,  11,  21,  says, 
'Though  hand  join  in  hand,  the  wicked 
shall  not  be  unpunished.'  The  primary 
import  of  the  precept  probably  is,  'Take 
care  that  thou  conspire  not  with  a  wick- 
ed man  in  his  cause  by  giving  witness 
in  his  favor.'  Vulg.  'Nee  junges  manum, 
ut  pro  impio  dicas  falsum  testimonium,' 
neither  shalt  thou  join  thine  hand  to  say 
false  testimony  for  a  wicked  person. 
But  like  the  foregoing  it  is  of  general 
application. 

Laio  requiring  Impartiality  in  Judg- 
ment. 
2.  Thou  shalt  not  follow  a  multitude 
to  do  evil.  Heb.  tD'^D^  rabbim,  many. 
From  the  same  root  comes  'Rabbi,'  a 
great  man,  and  some  have  thought  the 
more  genuine  sense  of  the  clause  to  be, 
'Follow  not  the  great,  the  mighty,  the 
distinguished,  to  do  evil,'  in  contradis- 
tinction from  the  '  poor'  in  the  next 
verse.  The  original  word  occurs  in  this 
sense,  Job,  35.  9,  'They  cry  out  by  rea- 
son o[  the  mighty  ('D'^^l  rabbim.y  We 
suppose,  however,  that  the  two  senses 
of  multitude  and  magnitude  are  both 
included  in  the  term,  and  that  we  are 
taught  by  the  passage  that  neither  the 
number,  rank,  nor  power  of  those  who 
do  evil  should  avail  to  make  us  follow 
their  example.  We  are  to  dare  to  be 
singular,  whatever  it  may  cost,  if  it  is 
only  thus  that  we  can  preserve  our  in- 
tegrity.   It  is  the  example  of  the  mul- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


41 


3  H  Neither  shalt  thou  counte- 
nance a  poor  man  in  his  cause. 

titude,  keeping  each  other  in  counte- 
nance, that  does  so  much  for  the  gien- 
eral  upholding  of  transgression.  Did 
the  current  of  public  example  set  in  the 
contrary  direction,  the  solitary  sinner 
would  be  universally  shunned  and  de- 
tested.  IT  Neither  shalt  thou  speak 

in  a  cause,  &c.  Heb,  'Neither  shalt 
thou,  answer  in  a  controversy  to  decline 
after  many  to  pervert,  or  wrest  (judg- 
ment) .'  The  scope  of  the  words  is  un- 
doubtedly to  enjoin  it  upon  the  chosen 
people  not  to  be  unduly  influenced  or 
carried  away  by  the  voice  of  a  majority 
in  pleading  or  deciding  a  judicial  cause. 
They  must  not  by  any  means  allow 
themselves  to  be  swayed  or  overruled 
by  regard  to  the  Rabbins,  the  many,  or 
the  mighty,  to  go  against  their  con- 
sciences in  giving  judgment.  They 
must  at  all  events  decide  according  to 
their  honest  convictions,  and  render  an 
upright  and  impartial  verdict.  Chal. 
'Neither  shalt  thou  refrain  from  teach- 
ing that  which  thou  seest  to  be  meet  in 
judgment.'  Judges  and  juries  especially 
were  to  guard  against  showing  respect 
to  the  persons  of  their  fellow-judges,  as 
well  as  to  those  of  the  parties.  They 
were  not  to  suppose,  as  men  are  prone 
to  do,  that  they  could  lose  their  own 
individual  responsibility  by  merging  it 
in  the  unanimous  opinion  of  a  majority. 
Accordingly  Lyra  remarks  that  it  was 
decreed  by  the  ancient  Hebrews,  that 
when  the  judges  were  numerous  those 
of  least  weight  and  authority  were  re- 
quired to  give  their  sentence  first,  lest 
if  they  followed  those  of  greater  weight 
and  influence,  they  might  be  unduly 
biassed  by  their  verdict.  This  would 
probably  not  be  amiss  with  those  who 
needed  an  adventitious  guaranty  to  the 
actings  of  sound  moral  principle,  of 
whom  there  are  no  doubt  too  many  in 
the  world. 

3.  Neither  shalt  thou  countenance  a 

4* 


4  H  e  If  thou  meet  thine  enemy's 

eDeut.22.  1.  Job  31.  29.    Prov.  24. 17.  &  25. 
21.  Matt.  5.  44.  Rom.  12.  20.    1  Thess.  5. 15. 

poor  man  in  his  cause.  Heb.  J^^  ^"n 
Tintl  vedal  lo  tehdar,and  the  poor  man 
thou  shalt  not  honor.  The  term  Tin 
hadar,  has  the  sense  of  beautifying, 
adorning,  and  seems  to  refer  to  the  arts 
of  oratory  and  the  sophistry  of  the  law, 
by  which  the  badness  of  a  cause  is  var- 
nished over.  The  word  ^T  dal,  attenu- 
ated, exhausted,  and  here  rendered  poor 
man,  is  probably  put  in  opposition  to 
D^i^  rabbim  in  the  preceding  verse. 
If  so,  the  meaning  is, '  thou  shalt  nei- 
ther be  influenced  by  the  great  to  make 
an  unrighteous  decision,  nor  by  the 
poverty  or  distress  of  the  poor  to  give 
thy  voice  against  the  dictates  of  justice 
and  truth.'  And  thus  tlie  ancient  para- 
phrasts  ;  Chal.  'Thou  shalt  not  pity  tht 
poor  man  in  his  judgment.'  Targ.  Jon 
'And  the  poor  who  shall  be  brought  intc 
judgment  thou  shalt  not  compassionate 
ly  respect,  for  there  is  to  be  no  respect  ot 
persons  in  judgment.'  Gr.  Kai  mvrira  ovf 
e)\£r]a£tg  sv  k^icth,  and  the  poor  man  thov 
shalt  not  compassionate  in  judgment 
In  Lev.  19.  15,  the  like  prohibition  is 
given  in  regard  to  the  rich,  'Thou  shal* 
not  respect  the  person  of  the  poor,  nor 
honor  (Tinn  tehdar)  the  person  of  thp 
mighty.'  In  matters  of  right,  right  wa» 
always  to  be  done,  without  regard  tc 
rank,  character,  or  condition.  In  gen- 
eral  there  was  no  doubt  more  dangei 
that  the  cause  of  justice  would  be  bi 
assed  and  injury  connived  at  in  favor  o< 
the  rich  than  of  the  poor,  yet  there 
might  be  such  a  thing  as,  under  th( 
pretence  of  charity  or  compassion,  mak 
ing  a  man's  poverty  a  shelter  for  his 
wrong-doing.  This  was  by  no  means 
to  be  allowed.  But  on  the  other  hand, 
the  just  rights  of  the  poor  against  in- 
fluences of  an  opposite  character,  are 
guarded  by  a  special  precept,  v.  6. 

Law  inculcating  Humanity. 
4.  If  thou  meet  thine  enemyh  ex  or 


42 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


ox  or  his  ass  going  astray,  thou  shalt 
surely  bring  it  back  to  him  again. 
5  f  If  thou  see  the  ass  of  hirn  that 
hateth  thee  lying   under  his  bur- 
den, -and  wouldest  forbear  to  help 

{  Deut.  22.  4. 

his  ass  going  astray,  &c.  'How  much 
more  his  soul,'  says  Trapp.  This  pre- 
cept is  given  with  fuller  details  Deut. 
22.  1—3,  'Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  bro- 
ther's ox  or  his  sheep  go  astray,  and 
hide  thyself  from  them :  thou  shalt  in 
any  case  bring  them  again  unto  thy 
brother.  And  if  thy  brother  be  not  nigh 
unto  thee,  or  if  thou  know  him  not,  then 
thou  shalt  bring  it  unto  thine  own  house, 
and  it  shall  be  with  thee  until  thy  bro- 
ther seek  after  it,  and  thou  shalt  restore 
it  to  him  again.  In  like  manner  shalt 
thou  do  with  his  ass ;  and  so  shalt  thou 
do  with  his  raiment ;  and  with  all  lost 
things  of  thy  brother's*  which  he  hath 
lost,  and  thou  hast  found,  shalt  thou  do 
likewise  :  thou  mayest  not  hide  thy- 
self.' He  who  w^as  in  the  ibrmer  case 
termed  an  'enemy'  is  here  termed  a  bro- 
ther,' thus  teaching  the  Israelites  that 
they  were  to  regard  all  men,  even  their 
enemies,  as  brethren.  This,  we  know, 
is  in  exact  accordance  with  the  teach- 
ings of  the  New  Testament,  and  it  shows 
very  clearly  that  it  was  no  more  than 
the  Pharisees'  gloss,  that  'they  should 
love  their  friends  and  hate  their  ene- 
mies.'  ^Thou  shalt  surely  bring  it 

back.  Heb.  IDn^Ttl  ^ITtl  hashcb  teshi- 
b'inu,  returning  thou  shalt  return  it. 

5.  If  thou  see  the  ass  of  him  that  hat- 
eth thee,  &c.  Heb.  'I&^SIU  sonaaka,  thy 
hater;  a  different  word  from  that  stand- 
ing for  enemy,  ^^'^i^  oyibka,  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse.  The  word  here  employed 
signifies  one  that  hates,  without  imply- 
ing that  he  is  hated  in  return  ;  but  the 
olh&r  implies  a  mutual  enmity.  It  is 
an  easier  matter  to  do  a  favor  to  the 
former  than  to  the  latter,  but  the  design 
of  introducing  both  terms  is  to  intimate 
that  both  classes  of  haters  were  in  this 


him,  thou  shalt  surely  help  with 
him. 

6  g  Thou  shalt  not  wrest  the  judg- 
ment of  thy  poor  in  his  cause. 

S  ver.  2.  Deut.  27.  19.  Job  31.  13,  21. 
Eccles.  5.  8.  Isai.  10.  1,  2.  Jer.  5,  28.  &  7. 
6.    Amos  5.  12.     Mai.  3.  5. 


respect  to  be  treated  alike  ;  that  they 
were  to  show  kindness  as  well  where 
there  was  a  reciprocal  hatred,  as  where 
it  was  merely  cherished  on  one  side. 

IT  And  ivouldest  forbear ,  to   help 

him,  &c.  The  original  of  this  clause 
is,  peculiarly  obscure,  and  has  given 
rise  to  a  vast  variety  of  renderings  by 
different  commentators.     The   original 

1^5)  :ui2>n  nt:>  ib  iT:??2  r.b-im  ve-had. 

alta  maazob  lo  azob  taazob  immo,  liter- 
ally signifies — '  thou  shalt  cease  from 
leaving  to  him,  thou  shalt  surely  leave 
with  him.'  The  idea  we  take  to  be, 
that  the  man  who  should  see  his  ene- 
my's ass  (or  other  animal)  in  this  con- 
dition was  to  cease, — i.  e.  by  no  means 
to  allow  himself, — to  leave  the  prostrat- 
ed beast  to  his  owner  alone,  but  he  was 
generously  to  go  to  his  assistance,  and 
not  to  desist  but  with  the  owner,  when 
he  had  succeeded  in  raising  him  up,  or 
had  left  him  as  past  relief.  This  is 
perhaps  the  simplest  construction,  and 
it  is  confirmed  by  the  parrallel  passage 
Deut.  22.  4,  '  Thou  shalt  not  see  thy 
brother's  ass  or  his  ox  fall  down  by  the 
way,  and  hide  thyself  from  them  :  thou 
shalt  surely  help  him  to  lift  them  up 
again.'  Gr.  'Thou  shalt  not  pass  by  the 
the  same,  but  shalt  raise  up  the  same 
together  with  him.'  Chal.  'Leaving  thou 
shalt  leave  that  which  is  in  thy  heart 
against  him,  and  help  up  with  him.' 
The  scope  of  the  precept  is  not  only  to 
inculcate  mercy  towards  the  brute  crea- 
tion, but  also  to  engender  kindly  feel- 
ings among  brethren.  For  what  would 
tend  more  directly  to  win  the  heart  of 
an  alienated  neighbor  than  such  an  act 
of  v/ell-timed  benevolence  ? 

6.  Thou  shalt  not  urest  the  judgment 
of  thy  poor  in  his  cause.     That  is,  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXill. 


43 


7  '>  Keep  thee  far  from  a  false  mat- 
ter ;  i  and  the  innocent  and  right- 
eous slay  thou  not :  for  k  I  will  not 
justify  the  wicked. 

l«ver.  1.     Lev.l9.  11.    Luke  3.  14.     Eph.4. 

25.  i  Deut.  27.  25.     Ps.  94.  21.    Piov.  17.  16, 

26.  Jer.  7.  6.    Matt.  27.  4.    k  ch.  34.  7,  Rom. 
1.  18. 


thy  poor  neighbor  (Deut.  27.  19),  in 
whose  cause  thou  shall  not  pervert,  but 
shall  strictly  exercise,  justice.  Though 
there  were  cases  in  which  there  was 
danger  lest  compassion  should  unduly 
bias  the  course  of  equity  in  favor  of  a 
poor  man,  yet  the  instances  would  be 
far  more  numerous  in  which  the  magis- 
trate would  be  tempted  to  neglect  or 
pervert  his  cause,  either  to  oblige  a 
rich  opponent,  or  to  save  trouble,  or 
because  he  had  not  money  to  pay  the 
requisite  expenses.  But  the  expression, 
Hhy  poor,'  is  supposed  to  be  a  counter- 
active to  all  such  temptations  :  '  Re- 
member they  are  thy  poor,  bone  of  thy 
bone,  thy  poor  neighbors,  thy  poor 
brethren,  and  cast  in  providence  as  a 
special  charge  upon  thy  justice  and 
charity.' 

7.  Keep  thee  far  from  a  false  matter , 
&c.  This  law  seems  intended  as  a  kind 
of  security  for  the  due  observance  of 
the  preceding.  If  they  would  guard 
against  perversions  of  judgment,  they 
must  dread  the  thoughts  of  aiding  or 
abetting  a  bad  cause ;  they  must  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it  j  they  must  keep 
themselves  at  the  greatest  possible  dis- 
tance from  it.  And  why?  Because  if 
they  wilfully  or  incautiously  hearkened 
to  false  testimony,  or  decided  wrong  in 
a  case  of  life  and  death,  they  would  be 
deemed  the  murderers  of  the  innocent 
and  the  righteous.  Indeed  it  may  be 
said  that  God  interprets  as  slaying  the 
innocent  and  righteous  that  conduct 
which  tends  to  such  an  issue.  If  then 
they  would  not  slay  with  their  own 
hands  those  who  looked  to  them  for 
justice,  let  them  '  keep  far  from  a  false 
matter  j'  for  it  might  terminate  in  such 


8  H  And  1  thou  shalt  take  no  gift ; 
for  the  gift  blindeth  the  wise,  and 
perverteth  the  words  of  the  right- 
eous. 

1  Deut.  16. 10.  1  Sam.  8.  3.  &  12.  3.  2  Chron. 
19.  7.  Ps.26.  10.  I'rov.  15.  27.  &  17.  8,  23. 
&  29.  4.  Isai.  1.  23.  &  5.  23.  &  33.  15.  Ezek. 
22.  12.     Amos  5.  12.     Acts  24.  26. 

an  issue  as  they  dreamt  not  of,  and  the 
righteous  God  will  not  leave  such  wick- 
edness to  go  unpunished.  'I  will  not 
justify  the  wicked  ;'  i.  e.  I  will  condemn 
him  that  unjustly  condemns  others. 
'Cursed  be  he  that  perverteth  the  judg- 
ment of  the  stranger,  fatherless,  and 
widow.  And  all  the  people  shall  say, 
Amen.'     Deut.  27.  19. 

Law  respecting  Bribery. 
8.  Thou  shalt  take  no  gift,  &c.  The 
precepts  we  are  now  considering  still 
have  respect  to  the  duties  of  those  who 
are  appointed  guardians  of  justice.  They 
are  instructions  to  magistrates  in  the 
conduct  of  judicial  cases.  They  were 
to  keep  themselves  studiously  free  from 
every  thing  that  would  tend  to  warp  or 
bias  their  judgment,  or  in  any  way  mar 
the  rectitude  of  their  decisions.  Gifts 
from  a  party  to  a  judge  are  absolutely 
prohibited,  even  though  not  given  on 
the  condition  of  his  pronouncing  a  favor- 
able verdict.  For  as  human  nature  is 
constituted,  gifts  tend  exceedingly  to 
blind  the  understanding  and  to  pervert 
the  decisions  of  those  who  take  them, 
and  who  would  otherwise  be  disposed 
to  follow  equity  in  their  sentences.  The 
conduct  of  Sir  Matthew  Hale,  when 
viewed  by  the  light  of  this  statute,  is 
preeminently  praiseworthy.  Upon  one 
of  his  circuits  as  judge,  he  refused  to 
try  the  cause  of  a  gentleman  who  had 
sent  him  the  customary  present  of  veni- 
son, until  he  had  paid  for  it.  He  would 
not  run  the  risqu^  of  suffering  his  feel- 
ings as  a  man  to  influence  his  decisions 
as  a  judge.  It  is  worthy  of  note  in  this 
connexion,  that  in  Deut.  27.  25,  we  find 
the  connexion    between  the  takinj;  of 


44 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


9  ^Also  in  thou  shalt  not  oppress  a 
stranger :  for  ye  know  the  heart  of 
a  stranger,  seeing  ye  were  strang- 
ers in  the  land  of  Egypt. 

10  And  "  six  years  thou  shalt  sow 

ni  ch.  22.  21.  Dent.  10.  19.  &  24.  14,  17.  & 
£7.  19.  Ps.  94.  6.  Ezek.  22.  7.  Mai.  3.  5. 
n  Lev.  25.  3,  4. 

gifts  and  the  murder  of  the  innocent 
very  distinctly  recognized:  'Cursed  be 
he  that  taketh  reward  to  slay  an  inno- 
cent person.'  This  is  an  expressive 
commentary  upon  the  tendency  and  ef- 
fects of  yielding  to  solicitations  that 
come  in  the  form  of  tempting  bribes. 
On  the  contrary,  how  rich  and  emphatic 
the  promises  to  those  who  keep  them- 
selves aloof  from  these  abominations, 
Is.  33.  15,  16,  'He  that  walketh  right- 
eously, and  speaketh  uprightly  ;  he  that 
despiseth  the  gain  of  oppressions,  that 
shaketh  his  hands  from  holding  of 
bribes,  that  stoppeth  his  ears  from  hear- 
ing of  blood,  and  shutteth  his  eyes  from 
seeing  evil ;  he  shall  dwell  on  high  ;  his 
place  of  defence  shall  be  the  munitions 
of  rocks :  bread  shall  be  given  liim  ;  his 

waters  shall  be  sure.' IT  The  wise. 

Heb.  Q'^np'D  pikhim,  the  open-eyed,  the 
seeing.  The  case  of  Samuel's  sons,  1 
Sam.  8.  1 — 3,  affords  an  humiliating  il- 
lustration of  the  effect  ascribed  to  the 
conduct  which  is  here  condemned:  'And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  Samuel  was  old, 
he  made  his  sons  judges  over  Israel. 
And  his  sons  walked  not  in  his  ways,  but 
turned  aside  after  lucre,  and  took  bribes, 
and  perverted  judgment.'  In  view  of 
all  this  the  wise  man  says,  Prov.  17.23, 
'A  wicked  man  taketh  a  gift  out  of  the 
bosom  to  pervert  the  ways  of  judg- 
ment.'  IT  Perverteth  the  words  of 

the  righteous.  That  is,  the  sentence 
of  those  who  are  ordinarily  accounted 
righteous,  and  who  but  for  the  corrupt- 
ing influence  of  bribes  would  be  right- 
eous. 

9.  Thou  shalt  not  oppress  a  stranger. 
This  verse  is  little  more  than  a  partic- 


thy  land,  and  shalt  gather  in  the 
fruits  thereof: 

11  But  the  seventh  year  thou 
shalt  let  it  rest  and  lie  still ;  that 
the  poor  of  thy  people  may  eat : 
and  what  they  leave  the  beasts  of 
the  field  shall  eat.  In  like  manner 
thou  shalt  deal  with  thy  vineyard, 
and  with  thy  oliveyard. 


ular  application  of  the  general  precept, 
ch.  22.  21,  introduced  in  this  connexion 
in  order  to  put  the  judges  on  their  guard 
against  the  influence  of  prejudice  in  de- 
ciding causes  in  which  foreigners  were 
concerned.  They  Avere  to  be  sure  not 
to  oppress  them ;  for  from  their  own 
experience  of  hardships  and  injustice  in 
Egypt,  they  knew  how  strangers  felt 

on  such  occasions. IT  Ye  know  the 

heart  of  a  stranger.  Heb.  TL'D'2  nephesh, 
the  sow/;  the  sentiments,  the  feelings. 
Knowing  the  griefs  and  afllictions  of 
strangers,  ye  can  the  more  easily  put 
your  souls  into  their  soul's  stead.  Our 
trials  and  sorrows  in  this  world  go  but 
little  way  towards  accomplishing  their 
true  object  if  they  do  not  train  us  to  a 
deep  sympathy  with  those  who  are  call- 
ed to  drink  of  the  same  bitter  cup. 

Laiv  respecting  the  Sabbatical  Year. 

10,  11.  Six  years  thoxi  shalt  sow  thy 
land,  &c.  We  have  here  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  ordinances  of  the  Jew- 
ish code.  As  every  seventli  day  was  to 
be  a  Sabbath,  so  every  seventh  year  was 
to  be  a  Sabbatical  Year,  and  hence  in 
the  repetition  of  this  law,  Lev.  25.  4,  it 
is  called  '  a  Sabbath  of  Sabbatism  to  the 
land,  a  Sabbath  to  Jehovah.'  During 
that  year  the  corn-fields  were  neither 
sown  nor  reaped.  The  vines  were  un- 
pruned,  and  there  were  no  grapes  gather- 
ed. Whatever  grew  spontaneously  be- 
longed alike  to  all,  instead  of  being  the 
property  of  any  individual  ;  and  the 
poor,  the  bondman,  the  day-laborer,  the 
stranger,  the  cattle  that  ranged  the 
fields,  and  the  very  game,  then  left  un- 
disturbed, could  assert  an  equal  right  to 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


45 


it.  In  short,  during  this  year,  the  whole 
of  Palestine  continued  a  perfect  com- 
mon (Lev.  25.  1 — S),  and  in  order  to 
render  this  law  the  more  sacred,  it  was 
not  only  termed  '  the  year  of  the  Sab- 
bath,' its  sabbatism  or  resting  being 
declared  holy  to  the  Lord,  but  even  the 
vines,  as  if  under  a  vow,  were  called 
'Nazarites'  to  which  a  knife  must  not 
be  applied.  Comp.  Lev.  25.  5,  with 
Num.  6.  5. 

As  to  the  reasons  of  an  ordinance  so 
remarkable,  although  we  may  perhaps 
admit  that  some  regard  was  had  to  the 
physical  benefits  accruing  to  the  soil 
from  a  periodical  respite  from  culture 
for  one  year  in  seven,  yet  we  cannot 
doubt  that  they  were  mostly  of  a  moral 
nature,  adapted  and  designed  to  promote 
the  general  ends  of  the  economy  to 
which  the  enactment  belonged.  As  the 
Sabbath  of  the  seventh  year  had  the 
same  reference  as  that  of  the  seventh 
day  to  the  creation  of  the  world,  it 
went  to  cherish  all  those  pious  and 
adoring  sentiments  which  were  awak- 
ened by  the  stated  rGcurrence  of  the 
weekly  day  of  rest.  This  septennial 
sabbatism  reminded  the  Israelites  not 
only  of  what  they  in  common  with  the 
whole  world,  owed  to  the  great  and 
glorious  Creator  of  the  universe,  but  of 
their  more  especial  obligations  to  him 
as  their  covenant  God,  who  had  made 
them  the  peculiar  object  of  his  care ; 
and  who  was  pleased  miraculously  to 
overrule  the  laws  of  nature  in  their  be- 
half. It  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive 
of  any  more  effectual  mode  of  teaching 
them  the  duty  of  a  continual  simple- 
hearted  reliance  upon  a  kind  and  boun- 
tiful providence,  than  by  the  command 
to  let  the  whole  land  lie  fallow  for  one 
entire  year,  and  to  trust  for  subsistence 
to  the  provisions  of  that  power  which 
made  the  earth,  and  which  could  easily 
make  the  produce  of  the  sixth  year  suffi- 
cient for  the  wants  of  the  seventh  or  even 
the  eighth.  Were  they  ever  tempted 
to  cherish  the  slightest  doubt  or  mis- 


giving on  this  score,  it  was  at  once 
confuted  by  the  express  assurance  of 
augmented  plenty  when  it  became  re- 
quisite. Lev.  25.  20,  21,  'And  if  ye 
shall  say,  What  shall  we  eat  the  seven- 
eth  year  ?  behold,  we  shall  not  sow  nor 
gather  in  our  increase :  Then  I  will 
command  my  blessing  upon  you  in  the 
sixth  year,  and  it  shall  bring  forth  fruit 
for  three  years.'  This  was  a  plain  in- 
timation that  a  miracle  should  attend 
the  strict  observation  of  the  law  m 
question.  Had  such  an  extraordinary 
increase  immediately  succeeded  the  fal- 
low year,  it  might  have  been  accounted 
for  according  to  the  course  of  nature. 
The  land  had  had  a  respite,  and  would 
naturally  bring  forth  with  more  vigor. 
But  when  after  being  exhausted  by  con- 
stant tillage  for  five  years,  it  produced 
more  instead  of  less  on  the  sixth,  what 
was  this  but  the  manifest  proof  of 
a  direct  intervention  of  Omnipotence, 
showing  as  with  the  light  of  the  sua 
that  a  particular  providence  incessantly 
watched  over  them  ?  And  not  only  so  ; 
the  ordinance  taught  them  impressive- 
ly upon  what  tenure  they  held  their  pos- 
sessions. They  would  be  forced  to  ac- 
knowledge God  as  the  lord  of  the  soil, 
and  themselves  as  liege-subjects  of  the 
great  Proprietor,  upon  whose  bounty 
their  well-being  continually  hung.  In- 
timately connected  with  this  was  the 
lesson  of  humanity  which  they  were 
hereby  taught  to  the  poor,  the  enslaved, 
the  stranger,  and  the  cattle.  The  ap- 
pointment of  the  Sabbatical  Year  was  a 
striking  demonstration  that  all  classes 
and  conditions  of  men,  and  even  the 
beasts  of  the  field,  were  mercifully  cared 
for  by  the  Universal  Father ;  and  what 
violence  must  they  do  to  every  kindly 
sentiment,  if  they  could  evince  a  con- 
trary spirit  ?  Once  in  every  seven  years 
they  might  freely  suspend  all  the  labors 
of  agriculture,  and  yet  rest  in  perfect 
security  of  an  ample  supply  for  their 
wants ;  and  what  could  more  directly 
tend  to  work  the  conviction  upon  their 


46 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


12  o  Six  days  thou  shall  do  thy 
work,  and  on  the  seventh  day  thou 
shalt  rest :  that  thine  ox  and  thine 

o  ch.  20.  8,  9.    Deut.  5.  13.    Luke  13.  14. 

minds  that  heaven  hud  appointed  them 
a  higher  destiny  than  to  be  always 
drudging  in  earthly  toils  ;  that  nothing 
would  be  lost  by  the  prescribed  inter- 
mission;  and  that  if  God  could,  as  we 
may  say,  afford  to  be  thus  munificent 
to  them,  they  were  bound  to  act  on  the 
like  noble,  liberal,  and  generous  princi- 
ples to  their  fellow-creatures  ? 

Another  ordinance  connected  with  the 
Sabbatical  Year  deserves  our  attention. 
On  this  year,  during  the  feast  of  taber- 
nacles, when  all  Israel  came  to  appear 
before  God  the  Law  was  to  be  '  read  in 
their  hearing,  that  they  might  learn, 
and  fear  the  Lord  their  God,  and  ob- 
serve to  do  all  the  words  of  this  law ; 
and  that  their  children  which  had  not 
known  any  thing,  might  hear  and  learn 
to  fear  the  Lord  their  God.'  Deur,  31. 
10 — 13.  Thus  once  in  every  seven  years 
the  congregated  nation  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  be  instructed  in  the  contents  of 
the  Law  given  by  Moses  ;  and  to  render 
this  ceremony  more  impressive,  it  is  tra- 
ditionally held  that  in  after  times  the 
king  in  person  was  the  reader.  The 
season  was  the  most  eligible  that  could 
have  been  chosen.  During  this  year  the 
minds  of  the  people  were  less  occupied 
with  Avorldly  concerns  than  usual.  They 
had  neither  to  sow  nor  to  reap.  They 
were  therefore  peculiarly  accessible  to 
all  the  good  influences  connected  with 
such  an  o\  servance,  and  were  prepared 
to  look  ujon  it  as  a  striking  type  of 
heaven  where  all  earthly  labors,  cares, 
and  interests  shall  cease  for  ever. 

Such  was  the  institution  of  the  Sab- 
batical Year,  and  such  its  effects  in 
creating  a  sense  of  dependence  in  God, 
charity  to  man,  and  humanity  to  brutes. 
It  was  admirably  adapted  to  be  a  test 
of  the  faith  and  obedience  of  the  chosen 
people,   and    yet    we    are    unhappily 


ass  may  rest,  and  the  son  of  thy 
handmaid,  and  the  stranger,  may 
be  refreshed. 


obliged  to  record  the  fact,  that  they  did 
not  stand  the  test.  Not  only  is  there  no 
express  mention  of  the  actual  observ- 
ance of  the  law  in  the  historical  books 
of  the  Old  Testament,  but  in  2  Chron. 
36.  21 ,  that  neglect  of  it  is  spoken  of  as 
one  of  the  procuring  causes  of  the  seven- 
ty years  captivity  to  which  they  were 
subjected,  during  which  the  land  was 
to  enjoy  the  number  of  Sabbaths  of 
which  it  had  been  defrauded  by  the  re- 
bellion and  unbelief  of  its  inhabitants. 
In  other  words,  the  years  of  their  cap- 
tivity were  to  correspond  with  the  num- 
ber of  the  neglected  Sabbatical  years  ; 
and  as  those  were  seventy,  it  would 
carry  us  back  about  500  years  to  the 
close  of  Samuel's  administration,  when 
the  observance  began  to  go  into  disuse. 
Thus  blindly  and  madly  does  depraved 
man  war  against  his  own  interest  in 
neglecting  the  salutary  appointments 
of  Heaven ! 

Law  respecting  the  Sabbath  day. 
12.  Six  days  thou  shalt  do  thy  work, 
&c.  A  repetition  of  the  law  of  the 
fourth  commandment  concerning  the 
weekly  sabbath.  The  reason  of  its  in- 
sertion in  this  connexion  has  divided 
the  opinions  of  commentators.  Some 
suppose  it  to  be  mainly  with  a  view  to 
its  civil  ends,  viz.  the  rest  and  relaxa- 
tion of  servants  and  beasts,  whereas  in 
the  fourth  commandment,  it  is  enjoined 
chiefly  as  a  branch  of  worship,  as  a 
part  of  that  spiritual  service  which  is 
rendered  directly  to  God.  Others  again, 
and  we  think  with  greater  probability, 
suppose  the  design  to  be  to  guard 
against  an  erroneous  inference,  that 
might  be  drawn  from  the  preceding  or- 
dinance. As  the  sabbatical  year  was  a 
year  of  cessation  from  the  ordinary  la- 
bors of  other  years,  so  they  might  pos 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


47 


13  And  in  all  things  that  I  have  I  and  q  make  no  mention  of  thename 
said  unto  you,  p  be  circumspect :  I  of  other  gods,  neither  let  it  be 

heard  out  of  thy  mouth. 


P  Deut.  4.  9.    Josh.  22.  5.     Ps.  39.  1.     Eph. 
5.15.     1  Tim.  4.  16. 


sibly  take  up  the  impression,  that  the 
ordinary  observances  of  the  Sabbath 
day  were  also  to  be  suspended  during 
that  year ;  that  it  was,  as  it  were,  laid 
open  in  common  with  the  other  days  of 
the  week.  But  this  would  be  a  groundless 
and  pernicious  inference,  and  therefore 
the  law  of  the  Sabbath  is  expressly  re- 
peated, and  the  people  reminded  that 
the  observance  of  that  day  was  of  per- 
petual and  paramount  obligation,  and 
not  in  the  slightest  degree  annulled  by 
the  occurrence  of  the  Sabbatical  Year. 
For  though  they  might  not  during  that 
year  be  engaged  in  the  ordinary  labors 
of  agriculture,  and  the  day  might  not 
be  so  emphatically  a  day  of  rest  to 
them  as  usual,  yeX.  even  during  that 
time  there  were  various  minor  occupa- 
tions and  cares  which  were  to  be  regu- 
larly suspended  as  every  seventh  day 

returned. IT  May  he  refreshed.  Heb. 

123&3'^  yinnaphesh,  may  be  re-spirited, 
or  ncw-souled,  from  1i;5D  nephesh,  soul; 
i.  e.  may  have  a  complete  renewal  both 
of  bodily  and  spiritual  health.  Gr. 
avaipv^r],  the  same  expression  with  that 
occurring  Acts  3.  19,  'Repent  ye,  there- 
fore, and  be  converted,  that  your  sins 
may  be  blotted  out  when  the  times  of 
refreshing  (avaxLv^scos,  re-souling)  shall 
come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.' 
The  very  frequent  repetition  of  the  law 
respecting  the  sabbath  shows  conclu- 
sively that  the  sanctification  of  that 
day  was  of  great  consequence  in  the 
sight  of  God,  and  that  he  had  a  special 
eye  therein  to  its  benign  bearing  physic- 
ally both  upon  the  welfare  of  man  and 
beast.  With  this  institution  before  us, 
we  can  no  more  ask  the  question,  'Doth 
God  care  for  oxen  V  So  far  from  dis- 
regarding their  well  being,  we  find  re- 
peated provisions  in  his  law  breathing 


q  Nunib.  32.  38.    Deut.  12.  3.    Josh.  23.  7. 
Ps.l6.  4.    Hos.2. 17.     Zech.  13.2. 


a  most  tender  and  beneficent  concern 
for  the  brute  creation  subjected  to  the 
uses  of  man.  How  different  from  the^ 
light  in  which  they  are  practically  re- 
garded by  multitudes  of  civilized  and 
nominally  Christian  men  !  How  many 
thousands  of  patient  drudging  cattle 
and  noble  horses,  have  no  sabbath ! 
They  cannot  remonstrate  when  called 
from  their  quiet  stalls  on  the  sabbath, 
and  put  to  their  exhausting  week-day 
toils,  but  the  barbarous  privation  of 
their  authorized  rest  speaks  loudly  in 
the  ears  of  their  merciful  Creator,  and 
their  meek  endurance  reaches  one  heart 
in  the  universe  that  is  not  insensible 
to  the  appeal.  That  heart  has  a  hand 
to  execute  judgment  adequate  to  the 
wrong  done  to  a  portion  of  his  creatures 
which  have  a  capacity  to  suffer,  but 
none  to  complain. 

Law  enjoining  caution  against  Idolatry. 
13.  In  all  things  —  be  circumspect. 
Heb,  Tl!'2'im  tish-shameru,  keep  your- 
selves. It  is  a  strict  injunction  of  uni- 
versal heedfulness  in  respect  to  every 
one  of  the  divine  precepts,  but  with 
more  especial  reference  to  those  pro- 
hibiting idolatry  in  any  of  its  forms  ; 
for  to  this  sin  Omniscience  foresaw 
that  they  would  be  preeminently  dis- 
posed and  tempted. IT  Make  no  men* 

lion,  &c.  Heb.  Tl^^itD  Si^  lo  tazkiru, 
ye  shall  not  cause  to  be  remembered. 
They  were  to  endeavor  to  blot  out  the 
remembrance  of  the  gods  of  the  hea- 
then, and  for  this  end  their  names  were 
not  to  be  heard  from  their  mouths  ;  or 
if  mentioned  at  all,  it  must  be  only  in  a 
way  of  detestation.  The  Chal.  terms 
these  other  gods  'idols  of  the  peoples  ;' 
and  God,  by  the  prophet  Zech.  13.  2, 
says,  'la  that  day  I  will  cut  off  the 


4S 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


14  *1I  r  Three  times  thou  shalt 
keep  a  feast  unto  me  in  the  year. 

15  9  Thou  shalt  keep  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread  :  (thou  shalt  eat 

'ch.  34.  23.  Lev.  23.  4.  Deut.  16.  16.  '  ch. 
12.  15.  &  13.  6.  &  34. 16.  Lev.  23.  6.  Deut. 
16.8. 

names  of  the  idols  out  of  the  land,  and 
they  shall  no  more  be  remembered.' 
And  again,  Hos.  2. 17,  'I  will  take  away 
the  names  of  Baalim  out  of  her  mouth, 
and  they  shall  no  more  be  remembered 
by  their  name.'  It  was  in  accordance 
with  the  spirit  of  this  precept  that  the 
Israelites  seem  to  have  made  a  practice 
of  'changing  the  names'  of  idolatrous 
places,  Num.  32.  3S.  And  under  a  sim- 
ilar prompting  David  says,  Ps.  16.  4, 
'Their  drink-offerings  of  blood  will  I 
not  offer,  nor  take  up  their  names  into 
my  lips.'  In  the  intercourse  of  society, 
there  is  no  more  emphatical  mode  of 
indicating  hatred  towards  a  person  than 
not  mentioning  his  name,  shrinking 
from  even  the  remotest  allusion  to  him, 
and  striving,  as  far  as  possible,  to  for- 
get even  his  existence.  Thus  would 
God  have  his  people  do  in  regard  to  the 
gods  of  the  heathen.  He  says  to  them 
in  effect  of  idolatry,  as  elsewhere,  'Thou 
shalt  utterly  detest  it,  and  thou  shalt 
utterly  abhor  it ;  for  it  is  a  cursed 
thing.'  The  influence  of  a  familiar  ac- 
quaintance with  the  mythology  of  the 
ancient  classics  would  no  doubt  be  far 
more  pernicious  than  it  is,  and  more 
abhorrent  to  the  spirit  of  this  precept, 
were  it  not  for  the  intrinsic  absurdities  of 
the  system,  and  the  overwhelming  light 
of  evidence  which  distinguishes  Chris- 
tianity. These  are  probably  such  as  to 
counteract  any  serious  injury  which 
might  otherwise  result  from  one's  being 
conversant  with  the  names,  characters, 
and  alleged  exploits  of  Jupiter,  Bac- 
chus, Apollo,  Mars,  Venus,  and  the  other 
deities  of  Pantheon,  of  whom  it  seems 
to  be  essential  to  a  liberal  education  to 
have  some  knowledge.    The  practical 


unleavened  bread  seven  days,  as  I 
commanded  thee,  in  the  time  ap- 
pointed of  the  month  A  bib  ;  for  in 
it  thou  earnest  out  from  Egypt : 
t  and  none  shall  appear  before  me 
empty :) 

t  ch.  34.  20.    Deut.  16.  16. 

evils  on  this  score,  we  imagine,  are  a 
this  day  but  sliglit. 

Low  respecting  the  three  great  Festi- 
vals. 
14.  Three  times  thou  shalt  keep  a 
feast,  &c.  Heb.  tS^^^^"!  ^LvIU  shalosh 
regalim,  three  feet;  i.  e.  three  foot- 
journies.  Gr.  rpeii  Kainovg,  three  times. 
Chal.  id.  These  three  feasts  were, 
(1.)  The  feast  of  the  Passover.  (2.) 
Of  Pentecost.  (3.)  Of  Tabernacles  ; 
each  of  which  continued  for  a  week. 
As  we  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to 
consider  these  festivals  separately  in 
all  their  details,  it  will  be  sufficient  at 
present  to  remark  in  general  that  this 
thrice-yearly  concourse  of  all  the  males 
of  Israel  at  the  place  of  the  sanctuary, 
was  well  calculated,  (1)  To  counteract 
all  the  unsocial  tendencies  arising  from 
their  separation  into  distinct  tribes, 
and  to  unite  them  among  themselves  as 
a  nation  of  brethren.  Were  it  not  for 
some  provision  of  this  kind,  local  in- 
terest and  jealousies  would  have  been 
been  very  apt  to  be  engendered,  which 
in  process  of  time  would  probably  have 
ripened  into  actual  hostilities  and  col- 
lisions that  would  have  broken  their 
commonwealth  to  pieces.  But  by  be- 
ing frequently  brought  together,  the  ac- 
quaintances of  tribes  and  families  would 
be  renewed,  all  feelings  of  clannish  ex- 
clusiveness  repressed,  and  the  social 
union  more  effectually  consolidated. 
(2)  It  was  an  ordinance  well  calculated 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  great 
events  on  which  they  were  severally 
founded.  As  the  weekly  sabbath  brought 
to  remembrance  the  creation  of  the 
world,  so  did  the  Passover  the  departure 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


49 


from  Egypt ;  the  Pentecost,  the  deliv- 
ery of  the  Law  ;  and  the  Feast  of  Tab- 
ernacles, the  sojourning  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Whatever  of  salutary  religious 
influence  was  exerted  by  the  celebra- 
tion of  these  memorable  events,  it  would 
obviously  bear  with  most  weight  when 
it  became  the  joint  act  of  the  whole  as- 
sembled nation.  Moreover,  as  the  Law 
was  read  and  instruction  imparted  on 
these  occasions,  the  effect  would  natur- 
ally be,  to  render  them  faithful  to  their 
religion,  and  better  disposed  to  carry 
out  its  principles  in  their  lives  and  con- 
versation. (3)  Another  important  end 
which  we  may  suppose  to  have  been 
designed  by  these  assemblages,  was  to 
afford  to  the  people  seasons  of  relaxa- 
tion and  recreation  from  their  necessary 
t-oils.  Although  the  weekly  sabbath 
brought  with  it  a  welcome  respite  from 
labor,  yet  the  Maker  of  our  frame  saw 
that  something  more  than  this  was  re- 
quisite for  the  highest  well-being,  cor- 
poreal and  mental,  of  his  creatures,  and 
therefore  ordained  certain  seasons  of 
innocent  hilarity  in  connexion  with 
those  religious  observances  which  would 
tend  to  keep  them  within  proper  limits. 
It  is  observable,  therefore,  that  the  ex- 
pression, '  rejoicing  before  the  Lord,' 
is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  speaking  of 
those  festive  conventions  which  brought 
the  Hebrews  together  from  time  to  time 
during  the  year  ;  and  it  is  no  doubt  de- 
sirable that  the  precepts  of  Christianity 
should  be  so  construed  as  to  lay  no 
chilling  interdict  upon  those  harmless 
amusements  which  the  constitution  of 
our  nature  seems  to  render  occasionally 
requisite. 

It  might  seem  at  first  view  that  there 
was  signal  impolicy  in  leaving  the  land 
defenceless,  while  all  the  adult  male 
population  were  congregated  at  a  dis- 
tance from  their  families  and  homes. 
Humanly  speaking,  it  is  indeed  surpris- 
ing that  the  hostile  nations  on  their 
Dorders  did  not  take  advantage  of  their 
exposedness.     For  the  matter  was  no 

Vol.  II.  5 


secret ;  it  was  publicly  known  that  at 
three  set  times  every  year  they  were 
commanded  to  be  at  Jerusalem,  and 
that  at  three  set  times  every  year  they 
actually  attended.  Why  then  were  not 
inroads  made  at  these  seasons,  to  slay 
tlie  old  men,  women,  and  children,  to 
burn  their  cities,  and  carry  off  the  spoil? 
How  shall  we  account  for  the  enmity  of 
their  foes  being  asleep  at  these  par- 
ticular times,  when  the  land  was  de- 
fenceless ;  and  perfectly  awake  at  every 
other  season,  when  they  were  at  home, 
and  ready  to  oppose  them?  Unless  the 
Scriptures  had  given  a  solution,  the 
matter  would  have  been  deemed  inex- 
plicable ;  but  from  this  source  we  learn 
that  the  same  Being  who  appointed 
those  feasts  guaranteed  the  security  of 
the  land  while  they  were  attending 
them.  For  thus  runs  the  promise  in 
Exodus  34.  23,  24,  'Thrice  in  the  year 
shall  all  your  men-children  appear  be- 
fore the  Lord  God,  the  God  of  Israel. 
For  I  will  cast  out  the  nations  before 
thee,  and  enlarge  thy  borders :  neither 
shall  any  man  desire  thy  land,  when 
thou  shall  go  up  to  appear  before  the 
Lord  thy  God,  thrice  in  the  year.'  Can 
any  thing  afford  us  a  more  striking  in- 
stance of  a  particular  providence  ?  He 
is  a  wall  of  fire  about  his  people  as  well 
as  the  glory  in  the  midst  of  them.  The 
hearts  of  all  men  are  in  his  hands.  He 
maketh  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him 
and  the  remainder  of  that  wrath,  which 
will  not  praise  him,  he  restraineth. 
During  the  Avhole  peri-od  between  Moses 
and  Christ,  we  never  read  of  an  enemy 
invading  the  land  at  the  time  of  the 
three  festivals ;  the  first  that  occurs 
was  thirty-three  years  after  they  had 
withdrawn  from  themselves  the  divine 
protection,  by  embruing  their  hands  in 
the  Savior's  blood,  when  Cestius  the 
Roman  general  slew  fifty  of  the  people 
of  Lydda,  while  all  the  rest  were  gone 
up  to  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  A.D.  66. 
Again  it  is  asked,  how  such  vast  mul- 
titudes could  find  provisions  and  accom- 


50 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


16  u  And  the  feast  of  harvest,  the 
first-fruits  of  thy  labours,  which 
thou  hast  sown  in  the  field :  and  *  the 

uch.  34.  22.    Lev.  23.  10.     ^s  Deut.  16.  13. 

modation  in  the  town  where  they  con- 
gregated.  The  best  answer  will  be 
found  by  a  reference  to  the  existing 
practice  of  the  Mohammedans  who  an- 
nually repair  to  Mecca.  The  account 
is  derived  from  our  countryman  Pitt, 
who  was  there  towards  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  but  the  statement 
in  its  general  features  is  equally  ap- 
plicable at  present.  After  describing 
Mecca  as  a  mean  and  inconsiderable 
town,  he  observes  that  four  caravans 
arrive  there  every  year,  with  great  num- 
bers of  people  in  each.  The  Moham- 
medans say  that  not  fewer  than  70^000 
persons  meet  at  Mecca  on  such  occa- 
sions ;  and  although  he  did  not  think 
the  number,  when  he  was  there,  so  large 
as  this,  it  was  still  very  great.  Now 
the  question  recurs,  how  this  vast  mul- 
titude could  find  food  and  accommoda- 
tion at  so  small  and  poor  a  place  as 
Mecca?  The  following,  from  our  au- 
thor, is  a  sufficient  answer: — 'As  for 
house-room,  the  inhabitants  do  straiten 
themselves  very  much,  in  order  at  this 
time  to  make  their  market.  As  for 
such  as  come  last  after  the  town  is 
filled,  they  pitch  their  tents  without  the 
town,  and  there  abide  until  they  remove 
towards  home.  As  for  provision,  they 
all  bring  sufficient  with  them,  except  it 
be  of  flesh,  which  they  may  have  at 
Mecca ;  but  all  other  provisions,  as 
butter,  honey,  oil,  olives,  rice,  biscuit, 
&c.,  they  bring  with  them  as  much  as 
•will  last  through  the  wilderness,  for- 
ward and  backward,  as  well  as  the  time 
they  stay  at  Mecca  ;  and  so  for  their 
camels  they  bring  store  of  provender, 
&c.  with  them.'  Ali  Bey  confirms  this 
account.  He  says,  indeed,  that  the  pil- 
grims often  bring  to  Mecca  rather  more 
food  than  they  are  likely  to  need,  and 
when  there,  they  compute  how  much 


feast  of  ingathering,  which  is  in  the 
end  of  the  year,  when  thou  hast 
gathered  in  thv  labours  out  of  the 
field. 

they  shall  want  during  their  stay  and 
on  their  return,  and,  reserving  that,  sell 
the  remainder  to  great  advantage.  He 
adds,  '  Every  hadji  (pilgrim)  carries 
his  provisions,  water,  bedding,  &c.  with 
him,  and  usually  three  or  four  diet  to- 
gether, and  sometimes  discharge  a  poor 
man's  expenses  the  whole  journey  for 
his  attendance  upon  them.'  These  facts 
no  doubt  apply,  in  a  great  extent,  to 
the  solution  of  the  apparent  difficulty 
as  to  the  management  of  the  Hebrews 
in  their  three  annual  meetings  at  the 
Tabernacle  or  the  Temple.  It  will  also 
be  recollected  that  Jerusalem  was  a 
much  larger  city  than  Mecca,  and  situ- 
ated in  an  incomparably  more  fertile 
district. 

We  have  only  farther  to  add,  that 
the  three  great  Festivals  were  honored 
with  three  remarkable  events  in  the 
Scripture  history.  The  feast  of  Taber- 
nacles was  the  time  when  the  Savior 
was  born,  and  also  the  time  when,  in 
his  thirtieth  year,  he  was  baptized. 
The  Passover  was  the  time  when  he 
was  crucified  }  and  the  Pentecost  the 
time  when  the  Holy  Ghost  descended 
in  a  visible  manner  upon  the  apostles. 

16.  The  feast  of  harvest.  When  they 
offered  two  loaves  of  first-fruits.  Lev. 
23,  17,  called  in  Ex.  34.22,  'the  feast 
of  weeks  (or  sevens'),  because  it  was 
seven  weeks  or  forty-nine  days  from  the 
feast  of  unleavened  bread,  and  occur- 
ring on  the  fiftieth  day,  was  thence  call- 
ed the  Pentecost,  a  Greek  word  signi- 
fying fifty.  This  was  properly  the 
harvest  festival,  in  which  they  were  to 
offer  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  boun- 
ties of  the  harvest,  and  to  present  unto 
him  the  first  fruits  thereof  in  bread 
baked  of  the  new  corn  (wheat),  Lev. 
23.  14—21.  Num.  28.  26—31.  As  the 
period  of  this  festival  coincided  with 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


51 


17  y  Three  times  in  the  year  all 
thy  males  shall  appear  before  the 
Lord  God. 

ych.  34.23.     Deut.  16.  16. 


that  of  the  giving  of  the  Law  from 
Mount  Sinai,  which  was  fifty  days  after 
the  Passover,  it  is  usually  spoken  of  as 
commemorative  of  that  event,  just  as 
the  feast  of  the  Tabernacles  is  of  their 
dwelling  in  tents  for  forty  years  dur- 
ing their  sojourn  in  the  wilderness. 

IT  The  feast  of  ingathering.  Called 
also  the  'Feast  of  Tabernacle^'  Lev. 
23.  34.  Deut.  16.  13.  This  was  the 
festival  of  gratitude  for  the  fruitage 
and  vintage,  commencing  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  seventh 
month,  or  October,  called  here  '  the  end 
of  the  year.'  It  continued  seven  whole 
days  until  the  twenty-first,  and  then  re- 
ceived the  addition  of  the  eighth  day, 
which  had  probably  in  ancient  times 
been  the  wine-press  feast  of  the  Israel- 
ites. During  these  eight  days  the  Is- 
raelites dwelt  in  booths,  formed  of 
green  branches  interwoven  together, 
which  in  the  warm  region  of  Palestine 
answered  extremely  well,  as  in  October 
the  weather  is  usually  dry. — It  may  be 
remarked  in  regard  to  all  these  festi- 
vals, that  the  original  term  by  which 
the  appointment  is  expressed  is  3nn 
tahag,  from  33n  hagag,  which  signifies 
to  go  round  in  a  circle,  and  thence  in 
its  religious  application  to  move  round 
in  circular  dances.  As  this  was  no 
doubt  in  early  ages  one  of  the  leading 
features  of  their  religious  festivals,  the 
term  came  in  process  of  time  to  signify 
in  a  general  way  the  celebration  of  a 
religious  feast  or  solemnity.  See  Note 
on  Ex.  5.  1.  The  idea,  however,  is 
prominent  that  these  were  to  be  seasons 
of  joy  and  rejoicing ;  that  a  sanctified 
hilarity  was  to  be  regarded  as  a  part  of 
the  duty  connected  with  these  festive 
seasons.  The  fact  affords  us  an  abund- 
ant vindication  of  ihe  Mosaic  system 
from  the  charge  of  sullen  gloom  and 


1 8  z  Thou  shalt  not  offer  the  blood 
of    my    sacrifice    with    leavened 

z  ch.  12.  8.  &  34.  25.  Lev.  2.  11.  Deut. 
16.4. 

cheerless  austerity  in  its  rites  and  ser- 
vices. 

17.  Shall  appear  before  the  Lord  God. 
Heb.  mn^  Xli^n  '^iS  ):i^  el  penH  ha- 
Adon  Yehovah,  to  the  face  of  the  Lord 
Jehovah.  This  is,  before  the  symbol  of 
the  manifested  presence  of  Jehovah, 
which  permanently  abode  on  the  ark 
and  in  the  temple.  We  are  still  to  give 
prominence  to  the  idea  of  a  visible  ex- 
hibition which  the  Israelites  were  to 
regard  as  representing  the  presence  of 
the  Deity,  The  expression,  we  have 
no  doubt,  has  special  allusion  to  the  ark 
of  the  covenant  surmounted  by  the  lu- 
minous cloud  of  glory  ;  and  though  the 
common  Israelites  were  not  indeed  per- 
mitted to  go  into  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
yet  they  were  to  offer  and  to  worship 
towards  (bss  el)  the  sanctuary  where  the 
sacred  symbols  were  fixed.  Chal.  'All 
thy  males  shall  appear  before  the  Lord, 
the  master  or  ruler  of  the  world.'  Sam. 
'Before  the  ark  of  the  Lord.'  Arab. 
'In  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord  God.' 
This  version  is  somewhat  remarkable 
when  viewed  in  connexion  with  Josh. 
3.  11,  where,  as  appears  from  our  Note 
on  that  passage,  the  epithet,  '  Lord  of 
the  whole  earth,'  is  expressly  applied  to 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant. 

Law  regulating  the  Offerings  at  the 
three  great  Feasts. 

18.  Thou  shalt  not  offer  the  blood,  &c. 
That  is,  the  blood  of  the  paschal  lamb, 
called  by  way  of  emphasis  the  '  sa- 
crifice.'    Chal.  'Of  my  passover.' 

IF  With  leavened  bread.  That  is,  hav- 
ing leavened  bread  upon  thy  premises 
or  in  thy  possession.  All  leaven  was 
to  be  previously  purged  out,  according 

to  the  statute,  Ex.  12.   15,  et  inf. 

TT  Neither  shall  the  fat  of  any  sacrifice 
remain,  &c.    Ueh.  "^^n  haggi,my  festi- 


52 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  3491. 


bread :  neither  shall  the  fat  of  my 
sacrifice  remain  until  the  morning. 

19  a  The  first  of  the  first-fruits  of 
thy  land  thou  shalt  bring  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord  thy  God.  b  Thou 
shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  his  mo- 
ther's milk. 

20  1[c  Behold,  I  send  an  Angel  be- 

»  ch.  22.  29.  &  34.  26.  Lev.  23. 10,  17.  Numb. 
18.12,13.  Deut.2d.lU.  Neli.  10.  33.  b  ch. 
34.26.  Deut.  14.  21.  c  ch.  14.  19.  &  32.  34. 
&  33.  2,  14.  Numb.  20.  16.  Josh.  5.  13.  & 
6.2.     r.s.91.  11.    Isai.  63.  9. 


val-  a  different  word  from  that  rendered 
sacrifice  (rct  zebah)  in  the  preceding 
clause.  Yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  it 
refers  to  the  sacrifice  of  the  passover 
as  the  parallel  passage  Ex.  34.  26,  has 
expressly,  'Thou  shalt  not  offer  the 
blood  of  my  sacrifice  with  leaven,  nei- 
ther shall  the  sacrifice  of  the  feast  of 
the  passover  be  left  until  the  morning.' 
Tlie  fat  was  forbidden  to  remain  till 
morning,  because  it  was  liable  to  cor- 
rupt and  become  offensive,  wliich  was 
very  unseemly  for  any  part  of  the  sa- 
cred offerings.  See  Note  on  Ex.  12.  10. 
The  fat  was  in  all  animal  offerings  ac- 
counted the  choicest  and  most  import- 
ant part,  and  that  wliich  was  preemin- 
ently devoted  to  God  ;  and  therefore  it 
was  required  that  it  should  be  immedi- 
ately consumed  without  any  reservation. 
This  was  especially  true  of  the  fat  of 
the  paschal  lamb. 

19.  Thou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  his 
mother^s  milk.  The  original  word  for 
seethe  signifies  to  cook  or  dress  by  the 
fire,  whether  by  boiling,  roasting,  or 
baking.  The  true  import  of  the  precept 
is  someA^f'at  doubtful.  Most  commen- 
tators t-^Ke  it  as  prohibiting  some  kind 
of  superstitious  custom  practised  by  the 
neighboring  heathen,  a  species  of  ma- 
gical incantation,  by  which  they  thought 
to  secure  a  plentiful  harvest.  But  per- 
haps the  most  probable  interpretation 
of  this  statute  is,  that  it  forbids  the 
killing  and  cooking  of  a  kid  or  lamb 
while  it  was  on  its  mother's  milk  ;  i.  e. 
during  the  period  necessary  for  its  own 


fore  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  the  way, 
and  to  bring  thee  into  the  place 
which  I  have  prepared. 

21  Beware  of  him,  and  obey  his 
voice,  ^  provoke  him  not ;  for  he 
will  enot  pardon  your  transgres- 
sions :  for  f  my  name  is  in  him. 

d  Numb.  14.  11.  Ps.  78.  40,  56.  Eph.  4.  30. 
Hebr.  3.  10. 16.  e  ch.  32.  34.  Numb.  14.  35. 
Deut.  18.  19.  .losh.  2t.  19.  .Ter.  5.  7.  Hebr. 
3.11.  l.Tohn5.  16.  f  Isai.  9.  6.  Jer.  23.  6. 
John  10.  30,  38. 


nutrition  and  the  ease  of  its  dam  ;  as 
it  is  wtrtl  known  that  all  females  for 
some  time  after  parturition  are  gencr- 
all)'-  oppressed  with  their  milk.  The 
mode  of  cooking  alluded  to  in  this 
passage,  is  not,  it  appears,  wholly  un- 
known among  the  Orientals  at  the  pre- 
sent day.  'We  alighted  at  the  tent  of 
the  sheikh,  or  chief,  by  whom  we  wei-e 
well  received,  and  invited  to  take  shel- 
ter with  him  for  the  night.  Immediate- 
ly after  our  halting  a  meal  was  prepared 
for  us  ;  the  principal  dish  of  which  was 
a  young  kid  seethed  in  milk.'  Buck' 
ingham. 

Promise  of  a  Tutelary  Angel. 
20,21.  Behold,  I  send  an  Angel  be- 
fore thee,  &c.  Heb.  n^^ZJ  ^il^i^  HjH 
'T'^DC^  "li^^^O  hinneh  anokisholah  malak 
lepaneka,  behold  me  sending  an  angel 
before  thee;  i.  e.  about  to  send.  See 
Note  on  Gen.  6. 13,  17.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  the  note  on  '  the  Pillar  of 
Cloud,'  p.  164,  for  an  expansion  of  our 
views  on  the  import  of  the  word  'Angel' 
in  this  connexion.  We  have  there,  if 
we  mistake  not,  adduced  satisfactory 
reasons  for  believing  that  the  Angel 
here  mentioned  was  the  Shekinah,  which 
was  identical  with  the  Pillar  of  Cloud, 
that  guided  the  march  of  the  children  of 
Israel  through  the  desert.  According 
to  this  view,  the  sensible  phenomenon, 
and  not  any  unseen  agent,  whether  di- 
vine or  angelic,  is  what  is  primarily  to 
be  understood  by  the  'Angel.'  This 
sublime  and  awful  object  they  were  re- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


53 


22  But  if  thou  shalt  indeed  obey 
his  voice,  and  do  all  that  I  speak  ; 
then  gl  will  be  an  enemy  unto 
thine  enemies,  and  an  adversary 
unto  thine  adversaries. 

S  Gen.  12.  3.     Deut.  30.  7.     Jer.  30.  20. 

quired  to  consider  as  the  visible  repre- 
sentative of  Jehovah  himself  and  to  de- 
mean themselves  towards  it  as  obedi- 
ently and  reverentially  as  if  it  had  been 
a  living,  intelligent,  personal  witness 
both  of  their  outward  actions  and  their 
inward  thoughts,  which  we  may  not 
improperly  say  that  it  was,  inasmuch 
as  the  Most  High  was  pleased  to  asso- 
ciate his  attributes  of  omniscience  and 
omnipotence  with  it.  All  the  language 
employed  is  such  as  to  warrant  this 
view  of  the  subject.  They  were  to  be- 
ware of  it,  to  obey  its  voice,  to  provoke 
it  not,  and  that  under  the  fearful  sanc- 
tion that  an  opposite  conduct  could 
not  be  evinced  with  impunity ;  that  it 
would  be  sure  to  meet  with  condign 
punishment.  Of  this  the  grand  assur- 
ance was  contained  in  the  declaration, 
'My  name  is  in  him,'  or  rather  accord- 
ing to  the  original  {'\Z1p'2beki7-bo),my 
name  is  in  the  midst  of  him,  or  it.  It 
is  well  known  to  the  Hebrew  scholar 
that  the  proper  expression  for  being  in 
a  person  is  IH  fto,  in  him  ;  but  here  we 
find  a  phraseology  strictly  appropriate 
to  being  within,  or  in  the  central  parts 
of  any  gross,  inanimate  mass  of  matter. 
We  cannot  but  understand  it  therefore 
as  carrying  the  implication  that  the 
name  ;  i.  e.  the  attributes — the  intelli- 
gence, the  power,  the  majesty,  the  glory 
of  the  Godhead — were  to  be  considered 
as  being  mysteriously  united  with  and 
abiding  in  the  overshadowing  and  guid- 
ing Cloud.  Arab.  'My  name  is  with 
him.'  Chal.  'His  word  is  in  my  name  ;' 
i.  e.  he  is  clothed  with  my  authority. 
Syr.  and  Gr.  'My  name  is  upon  him.' 
As  we  have  before  endeavored  to  show 
that    the    remarkable    symbol    of  the 


23  b  For  mine  Angel  shall  go  be- 
fore thee,  and  i  bring  thee  in  unto 
the  Amorites,  and  the  Hittites,  and 
the  Perizzites,  and  the  Canaanites, 
and  the  Hivites,  and  the  Jebusites ; 
and  I  will  cut  them  off. 

h  ver.  20.  ch.  33. 2.    i  Josh.  24.  8,  1 1 . 

Cloudy  Pillar  was  a  preintimation  of 
Christ's  appearing  in  flesh,  we  see  how 
naturally  the  apostle's  words,  1  Cor. 
10.  9,  harmonize  with  this  interpreta- 
tion ;  '  Neither  let  us  tempt  Christ  as 
some  of  them  also  tempted,  and  were 
destroyed  of  serpents.'  By  tempting 
the  Angel  that  served  to  them  as  the 
anticipative  shadow  of  Christ,  they  may 
be  said  to  have  tempted  Christ  himself, 
as  nothing  is  more  usual  in  the  Scrip- 
tures than  to  apply  to  the  type  or  figure 
the  language  which  belongs  to  the  sub- 
stance. It  is  as  proper  to  recognize 
Christ  in  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant  be- 
fore his  incarnation,  as  it  is  to  recog- 
nize him  in  '  the  Lamb  slain  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.' 

22.  But  if  thou  shalt  indeed  obey  his 
voice,  &c. — then  I  will  be,  &c.  Here 
the  divine  speaker  seems  imperceptibly 
to  glide  into  the  person  of  the  promised 
Angel  of  whom  he  speaks.  In  the  next 
verse  the  person  is  again  changed,  and 
he  speaks  as  before.  It  is  to  be  borne  in 
muid  that  Moses  was  at  this  time  on  the 
summit  of  the  mount,  holding  commu- 
nion with  God  in  the  Shekinah  ;  but  we 
perceive  nothing  in  this  fact  that  mili- 
tates with  the  view  advanced  above. 
The  very  appearance  that  rested  upon 
Mount  Sinai  and  now  conversed  with 
Moses,  might  be  modified  into  the  Pillar 
of  Cloud  and  in  that  form  denominated 
the  emissarj'-  Angel  that  was  to  conduct 
the  people  on  their  journey  to  Canaan. 

23.  For  mine  Angel  shall  go  before 
thee — and  I  will  cut  them  off.  Here  agam 
is  another  interchange  of  per.sons,  simi- 
lar to  that  above  mentioned,  and  such  as 
cannot  fail  to  be  frequently  noticed  by 
the  attentive  reader  of  the  Scriptures. 


54 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1493. 


24  Thou  shalt  not  k  bow  down  to 
their  gods,  nor  serve  them,  i  nor  do 
after  their  works  :  m  but  thou  shalt 
utterly  overthrow  them,  and  quite 
break  down  their  images. 

k  ch.  20.  5.  1  Lev.  IS.  3.  Dent.  12.  30,  31. 
m  ch.  31.  13.  Numb.  33.  52.  Deut.  7.  5,  25. 
&  12.3. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  Jehovah  of 
the  Jews  was  a  different  being  from 
him  who  is  here  and  elsewhere  termed 
'the  Angel.'  Indeed  the  origmal  phrase, 
mrr^  ^V^'^'^  malak  Yehovah,  may  quite 
as  properly  be  rendered  'Angel  Jeho- 
vah,' as  'Angel  of  Jehovah,'  or  'Angel 
of  the  Lord,'  which  is  equivalent. 

Idolatry  to  be  avoided  and  abolished. 

24.  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  to  their 
gods.  Heb.  nifiriffiri  5^^  lo  tishtahaveh, 
properly  signifying  'bow  down,'  though 
for  the  most  part  rendered  '  worship,' 
and  used  to  express,  in  a  general  way, 
all  the  various  external  acts  and  ser- 
vices of  religious  adoration.  See  Note 
on  Gen.  IS.  2 — IT  Nor  serve  them.  Heb. 
tDliSTl  taobdcm.  That  is,  shall  not  pray 
to  them,  praise  them,  nor  so  conduct  to- 
wards them  as  to  declare  thyself  bound, 
devoted,  or  dedicated  to  them.  Gr.  j,r} 
XarpEvaEig  avTois,  shalt  not  perform  ser- 
vice to  them.  But  in  v.  33,  the  same 
term  ^n2?ln  taabod  is  rendered  ia  the 
Greek  by  Sov'Xevari;,  from  which  it  would 
appear  that  the  Septuagint  versionists 
used  the  terms  SnAevoi  and  A«r(U£iiw, 
in  reference  to  religious  worship,  sy- 
nonymously.  IF  Nor  do  after  their 

works.  It  would  seem  from  the  con- 
struction, that  the  most  natural  antece- 
dent to  'their'  is  'gods,'  in  which  case 
the  meaning  is,  that  the  Israelites  were 
not  to  do  after  the  works  which  the 
service  of  the  heathen  gods  required, 
which  naturally  flowed  out  of  their 
worship,  and  were  incorporated  with  it. 
But  Ainsworlh  understands  '  their'  as 
having  reference  to  tlie  idolatrous  wor- 
shippers,   and   this    may   be   admitted 


25  And  ye  shall  n  serve  the  Lord 
your  God,  and  o  he  shall  bless  thy 
bread,  and  thy  water;  and  pi  will 
take  sickness  away  from  the  midst 
of  thee. 

1  Deut.  6. 13.  &  10.  12,  20.  &  11.  13,  14.  & 
13.  4.  Josh.  22.  5.  &  24.  14,  15,  21,  24. 
1  Sam.  7.  3.  &  12.  20, 24.  Malt.  4.  10.  o  Deut. 
7.  13.  Ac  28.  5.  8.    Pch.  15.  20.    Deut.  7.  15. 


without  doing  any  violence  to  the  text, 
tliough  we  think  the  other  sense  most 

correct. IT  Thou  shalt  utterly  over- 

throw  them.  Here  the  pronoun  'them' 
refers  to  the  gods,  and  not  to  the  peo- 
ple their  worshippers  ;  which  confirms 
the  construction  given  above.  The  sub- 
ject seems  to  be  the  same  throughout 
the  verse,  viz.  the  idol  deities  of  the 
Canaanites.  The  idol  worshippers  were 
indeed  to  be  destroyed,  but  that  is  not 
the  immediate  topic  treated  of  in  this 
verse.  The  divine  Speaker  is  here  com- 
manding the  total  excision  of  all  the 
memorials  of  that  vile  idolatr}'^,  which 
would  be  likely  to  seduce  his  people 
from  their  allegiance  to  him.  It  was 
enjoining  upon  them  the  same  spirit 
with  that  which  afterwards  prompted 
the  convicted  conjurors  to  '  burn  their 
books,'  Acts,  19.  19. 

Farther  Precepts  and  Promises. 
25.  And  ye  shall  serve  the  Lord  your 
God.  Nothing  can  be  more  reasonable 
than  the  conditions  which  Jehovah  im- 
poses upon  his  people — that  they  should 
serve  their  own  God,  who  was  indeed 
the  only  true  God,  and  have  nothing  to 
do  with  the  gods  of  the  devoted  nations, 
which  were  no  gods,  and  which  they 
had  no  reason  to  respect.  In  doing  this 
they  would  not  only  be  acting  the  part 
of  sound  reason,  but  would  assure  them- 
selves also  of  the  special  tokens  of  the 
divine  blessing.  They  would  be  secure 
of  the  enjoyment  of  all  desirable  tem- 
poral prosperity.  The  blessing  of  God 
would  crown  their  bread  and  their  wa- 
ter, and  make  that  simple  fare  more  re- 
freshing and  nutritive  than  the  ricliest 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


55 


26  H  q  There  shall  nothing  cast 
their  young,  nor  be  barren,  in  thy 
land:  the  number  of  thy  days  I 
will  r  fulfil. 

21  I  will  send  » my  fear  before 

q  Deut.  7.  14.  &  28.  4.    Job  21.  10.    Mai.  3. 

10,  11.  >•  Gen.  25.  S.  &  35.  29.  1  Chron.  23. 
1.  Job  5.  26.  &  42.  17.  Ps.  55.  23.  &  90.  10. 
•  Gen.  35.  5.  ch.  15. 14,  16.     Deut.  2.  25.  & 

11.  25.  Josli.  2.  9,  11.  1  Sam.  14  .15.  2  Chron. 
14.  14. 


dainties  without  it,  while  wasting  sick- 
ness, with  its  fearful  train  of  evils, 
should  be  effectually  banished  from 
their  borders, 

26.  The  number  of  thy  days^  &c. 
That  is,  thou  shall  not  be  prematurely 
cut  oif  before  reaching  that  good  old 
age,  which  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
things  thou  mayest  expect  to  attain. 
This  is  the  blessing  of  the  righteous, 
as  is  said  of  Job,  ch.  42.  17,  '  So  Job 
died,  being  old,  and  full  of  days,^  where- 
as 'the  wicked  live  not  half  their  days,' 
Ps.  55.  23. 

27.  I  will  send  my  fear  before  thee. 
Will  strike  a  panic  terror  into  the  in- 
habitants of  Canaan  before  thine  arri- 
val, which  shall  facilitate  the  subse- 
quent conquests.  The  words  of  the 
historian  Josh.  2.  9,  II,  show  how  pre- 
cisely this    threatening  was   fulfilled. 

IT    Will   destroy  all  the  people  to 

whom  thou  shalt  come.  Heb.  ^tl^^fl 
hammothi.  But  if  they  were  previous- 
ly destroyed,  how  could  the  Israelites 
come  to  them?  It  is  evident  that  our 
translation  has  followed  the  Vulg.  which 
has  '  occidam,'  I  will  slay,  as  if  the 
original  were  the  Hiph.  conjug.  of  ti1J2 
muth,  to  die — to  cause  to  die,  to  kill. 
But  the  pointing  on  this  supposition  is 
not  normal,  and  there  is  little  reason  to 
doubt  that  the  root  of  the  verb  is  not 
rn>2  to  die,  but  G?2n  to  terrify,  con- 
found, discomfit,  correctly  rendered  by 
the  Gr.  cKarrjcyoj,  I  will  Strike  with  dis- 
may. So  also  the  Arab.  'I  will  make 
them  astonished.'  Chal.  '  I  will  put 
iu  disorder.'    In  Cranmer's  Bible  it  is 


thee,  and  will  t  destroy  all  the  peo- 
ple to  whom  thou  shalt  come,  and 
I  will  make  all  thine  enemies  turn 
their  backs  unto  thee. 
28  And  u  I  will  send  hornets  be- 
fore thee,  which  shall  drive  out 
the  Hivite,  the  Canaanite,  and  the 
Hittite  from  before  thee. 

t  Deut,  7. 23.    u  Deut.  7.  20.    Josh.  24.  12. 

rendered  '  I  will  trouble,'  a  much  bet- 
ter version  than  the  present,  for  the 
context  shows  that  the  word  cannot 
here  mean  to  destroy,  but  to  trouble, 
intimidate,  dismay,  so  as  to  make  them 
turn  their  backs  to  the  Israelites.  It 
is  intensive  of  the  former  clause,  denot- 
ing the  consternation  into  which  they 
should  be  thrown,  and  their  consequent- 
ly becoming  an  easy  prey  to  their  ene- 
mies.  U  Make  all  thine  enemies  turn 

their  backs  to  thee.  Heb.  &'^3>  oreph, 
neck.  In  like  manner  Ps.  18.  40,  'Thou 
hast  also  given  me  the  necks  of  mine 
enemies,  that  I  might  destroy  them 
that  hate  me.' 

2S.  I  will  send  hornets  before  thee. 
Heb.  n^'l^Zn  tl5^  eth  hatz-tzirah,  the 
hornet;  collect,  sing,  like  'locusts,'  Ex. 
10.  4,  for  'the  locust.'  The  same  thing 
is  equally  explicitly  said,  Deut.  7.  20, 
'Moreover,  the  Lord  thy  God  will  send 
the  hornet  among  them,  &c,'  As  we 
are  not  expressly  informed  elsewhere 
that  this  annunciation  was  literally  ful- 
filled, several  interpreters  have  inferred 
that  it  is  a  mere  metaphorical  expres- 
sion for  enemies  armed  with  weapons, 
as  hornets  are  with  stings.  Bochart, 
however,  and  others,  maintain  that  the 
prediction  was  literally  accomplished, 
and  this  interpi'etation  is  said  to  be  con- 
firmed by  the  words  of  Joshua,  ch.  24. 
12,  '^And  I  sent  the  hornet  before  you, 
even  the  two  kings  of  the  Amorites  ; 
but  not  with  thy  sword  nor  with  thy 
bow,'  and  this  we  consider  on  the  whole 
as  the  most  correct  opinion.  Some 
commentators,  however,  explain  it  of 


56 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


29  w  I  will  not  drive  them  out  from  ' 
before  thee  in  one  year ;  lest  the 
land  become  desolate,  and  the  beast 
of  the  field  multiply  against  thee. 

30  By  little  and  little  I  will  drive 
them  out  from  before  thee,  until 
thou  be  increased,  and  inherit  the 
land. 

w  Deut.  7.  22. 

the  anxieties,  perplexities,  and  pungent 
stinging  terrors  which  should  seize  the 
minds  of  the  devoted  Canaanites  upon 
the  approach  of  Israel.  After  all,  the 
reader  must  be  thrown  upon  the  re- 
sources of  his  own  judgment  as  to  its 
import  in  this  place.  See  the  subject 
more  fully  canvassed  in  the  Note  on 
Josh.  24.  1,2. 

29.  I  will  not  drive  them  out  from 
before  thee  in  one  year.  Nor  in  fact  in 
four  hundred  years  was  this  expulsion 
entirely  eifected.  It  was  only  in  the 
times  of  David  and  Solomon  that  their 
enemies  could  be  fairly  said  to  have 
been  driven  .out.  The  reason  of  this 
delay  is  stated  to  be,  lest  the  land,  be- 
ing in  a  great  measure  left  destitute  of 
its  former  occupants,  should  be  infested 
by  great  numbers  of  wild  beasts.  But 
it  is  a  natural  inquiry,  what  grounds 
there  were  to  apprehend  that  the  expul- 
sion of  the  former  inhabitants  would 
leave  any  part  of  Canaan  vacant,  when 
there  were  at  least  two  millions  of  Is- 
raelites to  fill  their  place  ? — a  number 
sufficient,  it  would  seem,  to  occupy 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  land.  To 
this  it  may  be  answered,  that  the  words 
do  not  respect  merely  the  country  of 
Canaan  proper,  lying  between  the  Jor- 
dan and  the  Mediterranean,  but  the 
larger  region  embraced  in  the  promise 
to  Abraliam,  Gen.  15. 18,  and  the  bound- 
aries of  which  Moses  immediately  goes 
on  to  give.  This  was  an  immense  ter- 
ritory, and  it  is  obvious  that  its  sudden 
depopulation  would  be  attended  by  the 
consequences  here  stated.  It  was,  there- 
fore, wisely  ordered  that  the  extirpa- 


31  And  xl  -will  set  thy  bounds 
from  the  Red  sea  even  unto  the  sea 
of  the  Philistines,  and  from  the  de- 
sert unto  the  river  :  for  I  will  y  de- 
liver the  inhabitants  of  the  land 
into  your  hand:  and  thou  shalt 
drive  them  out  before  thee. 

xGen.  15.  18.  Numb.  34.  3.  Deut.  11.24. 
Josh.  1.  4.  1  Kings  4.  21,  24.  Ps.  72.  8. 
y  Josh.  21.44.    Juds.  1.4.  &  11.21. 


tion  of  the  Canaanites  should  be  grad' 
ual,  especially  when  we  consider  that 
the  continued  presence  of  enemies  would 
keep  them  on  their  guard,  and  prevent 
them  from  settling  down  into  that  slug- 
gish supineness  to  which  they  would 
otherwise  be  prone.  Thus  too  in  our 
spiritual  warfare,  it  is  no  doubt  or- 
dained for  our  highest  good  that  our 
corruptions  should  be  subdued,  not  all 
at  once,  but  by  little  and  little  ;  that 
our  old  man  should  be  crucified  gradu- 
ally. We  are  hereby  necessarily  kept 
in  an  attitude  of  perpetual  vigilance, 
and  reminded  of  our  constant  depend- 
ence upon  God,  v/ho  alone  giveth  us  the 
victory. 

31.  I  will  set  thy  bounds,  &c.  On 
these  boundaries  of  the  promised  land 
see  Note  on  Josh.  1.4.  This  land,  in 
its  utmost  extent,  they  were  not  to  pos- 
sess till  the  days  of  David.  Not  that 
there  was  any  positive  prohibition 
against  it,  or  any  intrinsic  necessity 
that  their  occupancy  should  be  so  long 
deferred  ;  but  God  saw  that  their  own 
culpable  remissness  would  preclude  the 
speedier  accomplishment  of  the  prom- 
ise, and  according  to  Scripture  language 
he  is  often  said  to   order  or  appoint 

what  he  does  not  prevent. H  Sea  of 

the  Philistines.  The  Mediterranean,  on 
the  coast  of  which  the  Philistines  dwelt 

IT  From  the  desert  unto  the  river. 

From  the  desert  of  Arabia  to  the  river 
Euphrates.  See  Note  on  Josh.  1.  4. 
Thus  1  Kings,  4.  21,  'And  Solomon 
reigned  over  all  kingdoms  from  the 
river  to  the  land  of  the  Philistines;'  i.e. 
the  river  Euphrates. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


57 


32  z  Thou  shalt  make  no  covenant 
with  them,  nor  \vith  their  gods. 

33  They  shall  not  dwell  in  thy 
land,  lest  they  make  thee  sin  against 
me :  for  if  thou  serve  their  gods, 
a  it  will  surely  be  a  snare  unto  thee. 

zch.  31.  12,  15.  Deut.  7.  2.  ach.  31.  12. 
Deut.  7.  16.  &  12.  30.  Josh.  23.  13.  Judg. 
2.3.     ISam.  18.  21.     Ps.  106.  36. 

3.2,  33.  Thou  shalt  make  no  covenant, 
&c.  The  import  of  this  precept  evi- 
dently is,  that  they  should  contract  no 
such  alliances,  nor  cherish  any  such  in- 
timacies with  the  devoted  nations,  as 
would  endanger  the  purity  of  their  re- 
ligious worship.  If  they  would  avoid 
the  peril  of  being  drawn  into  the  fatal 
snare  of  becoming  worshippers  of  false 
gods,  they  must  keep  themselves  aloof 
from  all  familiarity  with  idolaters. 
They  must  not  even  sufler  them  to  so- 
journ amongst  them,  so  long  as  they 
adhered  to  their  idolatrous  practices. 
Evil  communications  corrupt  good  man- 
ners, and  by  familiar  converse  with  the 
votaries  of  idols,  their  dread  and  detes- 
tation of  the  sin  would  imperceptibly 
wear  off,  and  they  would  find  them- 
selves, before  they  were  aware,  trans- 
ferring their  worship  and  allegiance 
from  the  true  God  to  the  vanities  of  the 
heathen.  The  language  implies  that 
the  serving  of  false  gods  is  nothing  else 
than  making  a  covenant  with  them,  and 
that  this  is  a  very  natural  consequence 
of  making  a  covenant  with  those  who 
worship  them. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
In  the  present  chapter  a  transition  is 
made  from  the  recital  of  the  several 
judicial  laws  embodied  in  the  two  chap- 
ters preceding,  to  the  narrative  which 
relates  the  ratification  of  the  national 
covenant,  the  building  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, and  the  institution  of  the  various 
rites  and  ceremonies  to  be  observed  in 
the  permanent  worship  of  Jehovah. 
The  leading  incidents  here  recorded  are 
the  solemn  adoption  and  ratification  of 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

AND  he  said  unto  Moses,  Come 
up  unto  the  Lord,  thou,  and 
Aaron,  a  Nadab,  and  Abihu,  b  and 
seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel;  and 
worship  ye  afar  off. 

a  ch.  28.  1.    Lev.  10.  I,  2.  b  ch.  1.  5.  Numb. 
11.16. 


the  foregoing  law  on  the  part  of  the 
people,  the  ascent  of  Moses  and  the 
elders  to  or  towards  the  summit  of  the 
mount,  and  the  august  vision  there 
vouchsafed  them  of  the  Divine  Glory, 
or  the  Sheliinah,  another  term  for  4he 
God  of  Israel,'  appearing  by  his  appro- 
priate symbol.  The  true  nature  and 
objects  of  this  remarkable  manifesta- 
tion  will  appear  more  evident  as  we 
proceed  in  our  annotations,  from  which 
the  reader  will  probably  infer,  and  with 
great  justice,  that  the  whole  scene  was 
one  of  far  richer  significance  than  is 
usually  imagined. 

I.  And  he  said  unto  Moses,  Come  up 
unto  the  Lord.  That  is,  God  said.  It 
would  probably  have  been  written  '  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,'  were  it  not  to 
prevent  a  repetition  of  the  word  'Lord' 
in  the  same  clause.  We  are  still  to 
bear  in  mind  the  remark  so  often  made 
before  that  the  '  Lord'  (Jehovah)  to 
whom  they  were  to  come  up  was  the 
visible  Jehovah  now  abiding  in  the  sum- 
mit of  Sinai.  Accordingly  the  Chal. 
has,  'Come  up  before  the  Lord;'  and 
the  .A.rab.  'Come  up  to  the  Angel  of 
God.'  It  would  seem  to  be  unquestion- 
able from  a  comparison  of  the  context 
with  Ex.  19,  24—20.  21,  that  these 
words  were  spoken  to  Moses  wliile  yet 
on  the  mount  and  before  he  had  retired 
from  the  thick  darkness  into  which  he 
had  entered.  Consequently  as  he  could 
not  be  commanded  to  ascend  the  moun- 
tain when  he  had  already  ascended  it, 
and  was  abiding  on  its  top,  we  are 
forced  to  understand  the  words  as  im-' 
plying  that  he  was  to  come  up  after 
having  previously  gone  down  and  pro- 


58 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


2  And  Moses  c  alone  shall  come 
near  the  Lord  :  but  they  shall  not 
come  nigh  ;  neither  shall  the  peo- 
ple go  up  with  him. 

3  *[i  And  Moses  came  and  told  the 

ever.  13.  15,  18. 

pounded  to  the  people  the  foregoing 
code,  obtained  their  assent,  and  per- 
formed the  various  covenant  trans- 
actions mentioned,  v.  3 — 9.  When  this 
was  done,  he  and  his  specified  company 
were  to  ascend  the  mountain  to  receive 
the  further  instructions  and  revelations 

which    God  designed    to    impart. 

IT  Nadab  and  Abihu.  These  were  the 
two  sons  of  Aaron  who  came  to  such  a 
fearful  end  for  their  presumptuous  trans- 
gression in  offering  strange  fire  before 
the  Lord,  Lev.  10.  1,  2.  When  Ave  be- 
hold their  names  in  the  list  of  the  hon- 
ored company  selected  for  this  near 
approach  to  God,  and  then  cast  our 
thoughts  forward  to  the  awful  doom 
which  they  not  long  after  brought  upon 
themselves,  we  are  led  to  the  most  seri- 
ous reflection.  How  clearly  does  the 
incident  show  that  God's  outward  gifts 
and  callings  are  often  different  from  his 
'election  according  to  grace  !'  And  how 
forcibly  is  the  lesson  inculcated  upon 
us,  that  no  mere  external  privileges, 
prerogatives,  professions,  forms,  or  fa- 
vors will  avail  us  ought  to  the  saving  of 
our  souls  without  an  inward  renewal  to 
holiness  wrought  by  the  life-giving 
spirit  of  God! IT  Seventy  of  the  eld- 
ers of  Israel.  That  is,  seventy  of  the 
aged  men  of  the  congregation ;  men 
distinguished,  respected,  and  venerated 
among  the  different  tribes.  The  official 
elders  mentioned  Num.  11. 16,  were  not 
yet  appointed.  This  company  was  se- 
lected in  order  that  they  might  be  wit- 
nesses of  the  glorious  appearance  about 
to  be  made,  and  of  the  communion  with 
God  to  which  Moses  was  admitted,  that 
their  testimony  might  confirm  the  peo- 
ple's faith  in  their  leader  and  teacher. 
If  Worship  ye  afar  off.    Gr.  :rpoo-- 


pcople  all  the  words  of  the  Lord, 
and  all  the  judgments:  and  all  the 
people  answered  with  one  voice, 
and  said,  ^AU  the  words  which 
the  Lord  hath  said  will  we  do. 

d  ver.  7.  ch.  19.  8.  Deut.  5.  27.  Gal.  3. 19.  20. 


KVvr}Gi)vai  ^taKpcoOcv  rw  Ivvpif'i,  they  shall 
worship  the  Lord  at  a  distance;  from 
which  it  would  appear  that  they  under- 
stood this  direction  as  having  reference 
exclusively  to  those  who  accompanied 
Moses  on  this  occasion.  The  letter  of 
the  text  does  not  make  this  distinction, 
yet  from  the  ensuing  verse  it  appears 
not  improbable.  From  that  it  appears, 
that,  while  the  body  of  the  people  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  Aaron  and 
his  two  sons,  and  the  seventy  elders, 
went  up  probably  about  half  way,  and 
Moses,  being  privileged  with  nearer  ac- 
cess, went  alone  quite  to  the  summit, 
and  entered  the  bright  and  fiery  cloud 
wliich  rested  upon  it.  Thus  in  a  typi- 
cal manner  he  sustained  the  person  of 
Christ,  who,  as  our  great  High  Priest, 
entered  alone  into  the  most  holy  place. 
This  arrangement,  which  presents  to 
us  the  people  at  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain, the  priests  and  the  elders  half  the 
way  up  its  sides,  and  Moses  on  its  sum- 
mit, affords  us  a  striking  view  of  the 
several  grades  which  God  has  appointed 
in  his  church.  Only  it  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  the  office  represented  in  Mo- 
ses is  now  merged  in  that  of  Christ, 
and  the  two  grand  distinctions  o{ people 
and  pastors  or  elders  are  all  that  are 
known  under  the  Gospel ;  the  order  of 
deacons  being  merely  a  kind  of  servants 
to  the  people,  ordained  to  superhitend 
the  temporalities  of  the  several  congre- 
gations. 

3.  And  Moses  came  and  told  the  peo- 
ple, &c.  In  this  and  the  eight  follow- 
ing verses  we  have  an  account  of  the 
important  transactions  in  which  Moses 
was  engaged  in  the  interval  between 
his  descent  from  the  mount  and  his 
subsequent  ascent  thither  in  obedience 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


59 


4  And  Moses  e  wrote  all  the  Avords 
of  the  Lord,  and  rose  up  early  in 
the  mornmg,  and  builded  an  altar 

e  Deut.  31.9. 

to  the  divine  injunction,  v.  1,  and  in 
company  with  Aaron  and  his  sons  and 
the  elders.  His  first  business  was  to 
set  before  the  people  the  body  of  laws, 
moral,  civil,  and  ceremonial,  which  had 
been  delivered  from  Mount  Sinai,  to- 
gether with  the  promises  of  special 
blessings  to  be  secured  to  them  on  con- 
dition of  obedience.  This  was  in  fact 
proposing  to  them  the  terms  of  a  na- 
tional covenant,  which  was  to  be  rati- 
fied with  very  solemn  ceremonies,  and 
enforced  with  solemn  sanctions.  To 
this  covenant  the  people,  it  appears, 
were  prompt  to  give  their  unanimous 
and  cheerful  consent,  saying,  'All  the 
words  which  the  Lord  hath  said  will 
we  do.'  They  had  before,  ch.  19.  8, 
consented  in  general  to  come  imder 
God's  government ;  here  they  consent 
in  particular  to  those  laws  now  given. 
The  Most  High  might,  indeed,  in  virtue 
of  his  sovereign  authority,  have  enjoin- 
ed his  laws  upon  the  nation  without  the 
formality  of  any  stipulation  on  their 
part  to  obey  them,  but  he  condescended 
to  give  the  whole  affair  the  form  of 
a  covenant  transaction,  as  something 
more  calculated  to  w'm  upon  the  gener- 
ous sentiments  of  their  hearts,  and  to 
draw  forth  a  more  affectionate  obedi- 
ence, than  a  code  of  precepts  enjoined 
upon  them  by  simple  authority  and  ap- 
pealing sternly  to  a  bare  sense  of  duty. 
God  loves  to  endear  his  requisitions  to 
the  hearts  of  his  creatures.  But  not- 
withstanding the  readiness  of  the  peo- 
ple thus  to  assume,  without  reservation 
or  exception,  the  responsibilities  of  the 
covenant,  it  was  no  doubt  done  with  a 
certain  degree  of  precipitation  and  rash- 
ness, without  being  aware  of  their  innate 
impotency  to  live  up  to  the  full  extent 
of  the  obligations  which  they  hereby 
incurred.    On  other  occasions   in  the 


under  the  hill,  and  twelve  fpillars 
according  to  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel. 

f  Geii.2S.  18.  &3I.45. 

history  of  the  chosen  race  we  find  in- 
stances of  the  same  sanguine  prompt- 
itude in  making  vows  and  promises, 
followed,  alas,  but  too  speedily  by  the 
grossest  acts  of  defection  and  rebellion  ; 
which  led  one  of  the  ancient  fathers  to 
compare  the  Israelites  to  locusts,  'Su- 
bito  saltusdantes,  et  protinus  ad  terram 
cadentes,'  suddenly  giving  an  upward 
spring,  and  forthwith  falling  upon  the 
earth  again.  The  figure  is  but  too  fair  an 
illustration  of  the  halting  obedience  of 
the  best  of  God's  children  in  this  world. 
4.  And  Moses  wrote,  &c.  Although 
it  must  have  occupied  a  considerable 
part  of  the  day,  and  perhaps  of  the 
night  also,  yet  hi  a  transaction  of  this 
solemn  nature  it  was  evidently  proper 
that  the  articles  of  the  covenant  about 
to  be  entered  into  should  be  reduced  to 
writing,  that  there  might  be  no  mistake, 
and  that  it  might  be  transmitted  to 
posterity,  who  are  equally  to  come 
under  its  obligations.  The  fact  that 
God  himself  had  previously  written  the 
words  of  the  Decalogue  on  tables  of 
stone  does  not  necessarily  militate  with 
the  supposition  that  Moses  now  made  a 
record  of  them  in  writing,  to  be  read  in 
the  audience  of  the  people.  These  ta- 
bles he  had  not  yet  received.  It  was 
only  when  he  came  down  from  the 
mount,  after  the  golden  calf  was  erect- 
ed in  the  camp,  that  he  brought  with 

him  these  divinely  written  records. 

U  Builded  an  altar  under  the  hill  and 
twelve  pillars;  the  altar  as  a  representa- 
tive of  God,  as  the  first  and  principal 
party  to  this  covenant ;  and  the  twelve 
pillars  as  the  representatives  of  the 
twelve  tribes  of  the  people  as  the  other 
party.  Between  these  two  covenanting 
parties  Moses  acted  as  real  and  typical 
mediator.  Gr.  'He  built  an  altar  under 
the  mountain,  Kai  SuScku  Xidovt  en  ras 


60 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


5  And  he  sent  young  men  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  which  offered 
burnt-offerings,  and  sacrificed 
peace-offerings  of  oxen  unto  the 
Lord. 

6  And  Moses  g  took  half  of  the 
blood,  and  put  it  in  basons;  and 
half  of  the  blood  he  sprinkled  on 
the  altar. 

7  And  he  h  took  the  book  of  the 

eHebr.  9.  18.    hHebr.  9.  19. 

SijJOcKa  (pv)^ai  Tjv  laparjX,  and  twelve 
stones  for  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel; 
as  if  each  of  the  pillars  consisted  of  a 
single  stone,  which  we  incline  to  believe 
was  the  fact ;  but  it  is  not  certain  ;  they 
may  have  consisted  of  heaps  of  stones. 
5.  And  he  sent  young  men,  Sic.  That 
is,  the  first-born,  who  officiated  as 
priests  and  sacrificers  till  the  Levites 
were  appointed  by  substitution  in  their 
stead,  Num.  3.  41.  The  term,  as  is  re- 
marked in  the  Note  on  Gen.  14.  24,  does 
not  imply  persons  of  youthful  age,  but 
those  who  were  qualified  to  act  in  this 
ministerial  service,  which  would  natur- 
ally require  men  of  mature  years.  Chal. 
'He  sent  the  first-born  of  the  sons  of  Is- 
rael.' The  Targ.  Jon.  adds,  'For  to  this 
hour  the  business  of  worship  was  among 
the  first-born,  seeing  that  as  yet  the  tab- 
ernacle of  the  covenant  was  not  built, 
neither  had  the  priesthood  been  given 
to  Aaron.'  It  is  observable  that  there 
was  no  solemn  religious  ceremony  in 
any  part  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation,  in 
which  there  was  not  a  sacrifice,  no  ap- 
proach to  God  until  he  was  thus  pro- 
pitiated. These  of  course  were  typical 
of  that  one  great  offering  of  the  Son  of 
God,  afterwards  to  be  presented,  which 
has  for  ever  abrogated  all  others.  By 
this,  peace  was  made  between  God  and 
his  sincere  worshippers,  who  bring  that 
sacrifice  in  faith,  and  lay  it  on  his  altar. 
But  until  the  fulness  of  time  was  come, 
the  bodies  of  oxen  and  sheep,  of  goats 
and  calves,  prefigured  the  body  of  Christ 
which  he  offered  up,  once  for  all,  upon 


covenant,  and  read  in  the  audience 
of  the  people:  and  they  said,  iAll 
that  the  Lord  hath  said  will  we  do, 
and  be  obedient. 

8  And  Moses  took  the  blood,  and 
sprinkled  it  on  the  people,  and  said, 
Behold  kihe  blood  of  the  covenant, 
which  the  Lord  hath  made  with 
you  concerning  all  these  words. 

i  ver.  3.  Is;  Ilebr.  9.  20.  &  13.  20.  1  Pet. 
1.2. 


the  cross,  expiating  then  the  sins  of 
men  ;  and  the  people  were  thus  taught 
the  need  of  a  sacrifice  to  propitiate  as 
well  as  of  a  mediator  to  stand  between 
them  and   God,   and   to   intercede    for 

them. ^  Of  oxen.    From  Heb.  9. 19, 

it  appears  that  other  animals  were  sa- 
crificed on  this  occasion  ,•  'He  took  the 
blood  of  calves  and  of  goats,'  &c.  Oxen, 
or  rather  bullocks,  are  mentioned  as 
being  principal. 

6 — 8.  And  Moses  took  half  of  the 
blood,  &c.  The  application  of  the  blood 
of  the  victim  more  explicitly  demands 
our  attention  in  considering  the  circum- 
stances of  this  solemn  rite.  Being  di- 
vided into  two  equal  parts,  one  half 
was  put  into  one  basin,  the  other  into 
another.  The  first  was  then  taken,  and 
the  blood  sprinkled  upon  the  altar,  the 
representative  of  God,  thereby  denoting 
that  he,  on  his  part,  engaged  to  be 
faithful  in  the  covenant  relation  which 
he  now  condescended  to  assume,  per- 
forming all  the  promises  and  conferring 
all  the  blessings  which  their  corres- 
ponding fidelity  would  entitle  them  to 
expect.  As  Moses  here  says  the  altar 
was  sprinkled,  but  makes  no  mention 
of  the  book,  and  as  Paul,  Heb.  9.  19, 
speaks  of  the  book's  being  sprinkled, 
but  says  nothing  of  the  altar,  the  pre- 
sumption is,  that  the  book  was  laid 
upon  tlie  altar,  and  thus  both  the  book 
and  the  altar  partook  of  the  sacred  af- 
fusion. The  import  of  the  act  was 
solemn  and  awful  in  the  extreme,  and 
the  form  of  adjuration  is  supposed  to 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


61 


9  ^  Then  i  went  up  Moses,  and 

1  ver.  1. 

have  been  substantially  the  following  ; 
'As  the  body  of  this  victim  is  cloven 
asunder,  as  the  blood  of  this  animal  is 
poured  out,  so  let  my  body  be  divided 
and  my  blood  shed,  if  I  prove  unfaith- 
ful and  perfidious.'  Under  a  stipula- 
tion of  this  fearful  import,  the  people 
consent  to  the  conditions  of  the  com- 
pact, and  again  declare  their  purpose  to 
abide  steadfastly  by  the  divine  require- 
ments. Upon  this  Moses  took  the 
other  basin  of  blood,  and  sprinkled  its 
contents  '  on  the  people  ;'  i.e.  either  on 
the  twelve  pillars  which  stood  as  the 
representatives  of  the  people,  or  upon  a 
portion  of  the  elders  of  the  congrega- 
tion in  the  name  of  the  whole  body. 
As  the  sprinklings  and  purifyings  under 
the  law  were  usually  performed  with 
water,  scarlet  wool,  and  hyssop.  Lev. 
14.  6.  7,  such  also,  as  we  learn  from 
the  apostle,  Heb.  9.  19,  was  the  case  in 
the  present  instance.  The  application 
of  the  blood  was  the  seal  of  the  cove- 
nant, giving  to  the  whole  transaction 
its  crowning  and  binding  sanction.  It 
is,  accordingly,  with  the  most  solemn 
emphasis  that  Moses  adds,  'Behold  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  which  the  Lord 
hath  made  with  you  concerning  all  these 
words  ;'  i.  e.  the  blood  by  the  shedding 
of  which  the  covenant  is  ratified  and 
confirmed.  In  like  manner  our  Savior, 
in  instituting  that  ordinance  which  was 
to  be  a  perpetual  seal  of  the  new  cove- 
nant of  grace,  said  to  his  disciples, 
'  This  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testa- 
ment, which  is  shed  for  many  for  the 
remission  of  sins.'  And  it  should  not 
be  forgotten,  that  all  those  who  adjoin 
themselves  to  the  Lord  in  this  sacred 
ordinance  have  the  guilt  of  blood  rest- 
ing upon  them  if  they  prove  unfaithful, 
and  that  the  Savior  probably  alludes  to 
the  understood  penalty  of  this  kind  of 
covenant-breaking,  when  he  says,  Luke, 
12.  43 — 46,  '  Blessed  is  that  servant, 
Vol..  II.  6 


Aaron,  Nadab,  and  Abihu,  and 
seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel. 

whom  his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall 
find  so  doing.  Of  a  truth  I  say  unto 
you,  That  he  will  make  him  ruler  over 
all  that  he  hath.  But  and  if  that  serv. 
ant  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  delayeth 
his  coming  ;  and  shall  begin  to  beat  the 
men-servants,  and  maidens,  and  to  eat 
and  drink,  and  to  be  drunken  ;  the  lord 
of  that  servant  will  come  in  a  day  when 
he  looketh  not  for  him,  and  at  an  hour 
when  he  is  not  aware,  and  will  cut  him 
in  sunder^  and  will  appoint  him  his 
portion  with  the  unbelievers.'  This 
'cutting  asunder'  alludes  to  the  virtual 
imprecation  of  every  one  who  entered 
into  covenant  over  the  divided  members 
of  the  victim  slaughtered  on  such  oc- 
casions.    Compare  with  this  Heb.  9. 

19,  20. TT  Took  the  book  of  the  cove- 

na7it,  and  read,  &c.  In  order  that  the 
people  might  be  completely  aware  of 
what  they  were  about  to  undertake, 
though  they  had  been  told  before,  he 
took  the  book,  and  read  from  it  all  that 
he  had  there  written.  Ke  read  it  that 
they  might  be  sure  that  what  was  con- 
tained in  it,  and  what  they  were  go- 
ing, as  it  were,  to  sign,  was  the  same 
as  he  had  previously  spoken  to  them, 
and  they  had  promised  to  observe.  He 
read  it  that  their  memories  might  be 
refreshed,  and  their  consent  given  with 
full  knowlege  and  due  deliberation. 

9,  Then  xccnt  tip  Moses  and  Aaron, 
&c.  The  several  preliminary  ceremo- 
nies and  services  mentioned  above  hav- 
ing been  completed,  Moses  and  his  cho- 
sen attendants  now  make  their  ascent 
up  the  mountain,  in  obedience  to  the 
command  before  given,  v.  1.  From  v. 
13,  it  appears  evident  that  Joshua  con- 
stituted one  of  the  companj'^,  though 
his  name  is  not  here  mentioned.  The 
omission  may  perhaps  have  been  owing 
to  the  fact  that  he  went  not  in  a  repre- 
sentative character,  but  simply  as  a 
personal  attendant  or  minister  to  Mo- 


62 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


10  And  they  m  saw  the  God  of  Is- 
rael :  and  thei'e  ivas  under  his  feet 

m  See  Gen.  32.  30.  ch.  3.  6.  Judg.  13.  22. 
Isai.  6.  1,  5.  with  ch.  33.  20,  23.  John  I.  18. 
1  Tim.  6.  16.     lJohn4.  12.     ' 

ses. — In  the  brief  narrative  contained 
in  tliis  and  the  two  ensuing  verses,  we 
enter  upon  the  consideration  of  one  of 
the  most  remarlvable  events  recorded  in 
the  whole  compass  of  the  sacred  story. 
The  sublime  and  glorious  spectacle  to 
which  these  favored  sons  of  Israel  were 
now  admitted  is,  no  doubt,  the  germ  of 
many  of  the  most  magnificent  descrip- 
tions of  the  symbolical  scenery  of  the 
prophets,  and  especially  of  the  theo- 
phanies,  or  visible  manifestations  of  the 
Deity,  which  we  find  subsequently  re- 
corded, and  capable,  if  expanded  into 
all  its  details,  of  filling  a  volume. 

10.  And  they  saw  the  God  of  Israel. 
Heb.  ^i^^ll!^  "n^  iTii^  li^'l^l  vayiru 
eth  Eloh'e  Yisrael,  and  they  saw  the 
God  of  Israel.  As  we  are  assured  upon 
the  authority  of  inspiration,  1  Tim.  6. 
16,  that  'no  man  hath  seen  or  can  see' 
God  in  his  essential  being,  this  language 
undoubtedly  denotes  that  they  were 
privileged  to  behold  the  visible  sign, 
symbol,  or  demonstration  of  his  pres- 
ence, or  in  other  Avords,  the  Shekinah, 
perhaps  under  a  form  of  more  distinct- 
ness, or  circumstances  of  greater  glory, 
than  it  had  ever  been  revealed  in  before. 
It  was  unquestionably  a  similar  appear- 
ance to  that  vouchsafed  to  Ezekiel, 
chap.  1.26,  of  which  he  says,  'Above 
the  firmament  that  was  over  their  heads, 
having  the  appearance  of  a  sapphire- 
stone,  was  the  likeness  of  a  tlirone,  and 
upon  the  likeness  of  the  throne  was  the 
likeness  as  the  appearance  of  a  man 
above  upon  it.'  The  'firmament'  here 
spoken  of  as  over  the  heads  of  the  liv- 
ing creatures  was  not  the  celestial  fir- 
mament, but  a  splendid  flooring  or  sub- 
stratum on  which  the  visionary  throne 
and  its  occupant  rested,  corresponding 
to  the  'paved  work  of  a  sapphire  stone,' 


as  it  ^vere  a  paved  work  of  a  n  sap- 
phire-stone, and  as  it  were  the 
o  body  of  heaven  in  his  clearness. 

nEzek.  1.  2G.  &  10.  1.     Rev.  4.  3.    o  Matt. 
17.2. 

mentioned  by  Moses.  But  it  will  be 
proper,  in  a  passage  of  this  nature  to 
give  the  ancient  versions,  in  which  the 
reader  will  perceive  the  most  distinct 
recognition  of  the  Shekinah,  as  we  have 
elsewhere  represented  it.  Gr.  'And  they 
saw  the  place  where  the  God  of  Israel 
had  stood,  and  under  his  feet  as  it  were 
the  work  of  a  sapphire-brick,  and  as  it 
were  the  appearance  of  the  firmament 
of  heaven  in  the  purity  thereof.  And 
of  the  chosen  of  Israel  there  perished 
not  one,  and  they  were  seen  in  the  place 
of  God,  and  ate  and  drank.'  Chal.  'And 
they  saw  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel, 
and  under  the  throne  of  his  glory  as  the 
work  of  a  precious  stone,  and  as  the 
aspect  of  heaven  when  it  is  serene.  But 
to  the  princes  of  the  sons  of  Israel  no 
injury  accrued  ;  and  they  saw  the  Glo- 
ry of  God,  and  rejoiced  in  the  sacrifices, 
which  were  accepted,  as  if  they  had 
eaten  and  drank.'  Arab.  'And  they  saw 
the  Angel  of  the  God  of  Israel,  and  un- 
der him  something  similar  to  the  white- 
ness of  adamant,  and  like  to  heaven  itself 
in  its  serenity.  And  Eigainst  the  princes 
of  the  sons  of  Israel  he  sent  not  forth 
his  stroke,  and  they  saw  the  Angel  of 
the  Lord,  and  lived,  and  ate,  and  drank.' 
Syr.  'And  they  saw  the  God  of  Israel, 
and  under  his  feet  as  it  were  the  work 
of  a  sapphire-brick,  and  as  it  were  the 
color  of  heaven  when  it  is  serene.  And 
against  the  elders  of  the  sons  of  Israel 
he  did  not  extend  his  hand;  yea,  they 
saw  God,  and  ate  and  drank.'  Sam. 
'And  they  saw  the  God  of  Israel,  and 
under  his  feet  as  it  were  a  brick-work 
of  sapphire,  and  as  heaven  itself  in  its 
purity.  Nor  yet  against  the  elect  ones 
of  the  children  of  Israel  did  he  send 
forth  his  hand,  but  they  clave  unto  God, 
and  ate  and  drank.' 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


63 


It  will  be  observed  that  both  in  llie 
saci'ed  text,  and  in  these  several  ver- 
sions, there  is  a  studied  obscurity  as 
to  the  form  and  aspect  of  the  object 
whose  resting  or  standing  place  is  so 
gorgeously  described.  Yet  from  a  com- 
parison of  this  passage  with  the  vision 
of  Ezekiel,  ch.  1,  of  which  it  is  unques- 
tionably the  germ,  there  is  some  rea- 
son to  think  it  was  an  approximation 
to  the  human  form,  as  he  says,  that 
.  above  the  firmament  that  was  over  their 
heads,  having  the  appearance  of  a  sap- 
phire stone,  there  was  the  likeness  of 
a  throne,  and  '  upon  the  likeness  of  the 
throne  the  likeness  as  the  appearance 
of  a  man  above  upon  it.'  Even  here, 
however,  the  description  is  so  worded 
as  to  leave  the  image  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader  designedly  vague  and  shadowy, 
lest  a  foundation  should  be  laid  for 
an  idolatrous  abuse  of  the  symbolical 
scenery  depicted.  While,  therefore,  the 
idea  of  a  distinct  personal  appearance 
in  human  form  is  excluded,  yet  we  may 
perhaps  safely  conceive  that  the  lumin- 
ous and  glorious  object  presented  to 
their  view  bore  a  remote  semblance  of 
such  a  form  ;  nor  does  it  militate  with 
this  supposition  that  Moses  says,  in 
describing  the  phenomena  of  Sinai,  'ye 
saw  no  manner  of  similitude  ;'  for  this 
was  spoken  concerning  the  people  in 
general,  at  the  time  of  their  receiving 
the  law  in  an  audible  voice  from  the 
mount ;  but  the  words  before  us  relate 
to  a  few  individuals,  and  what  they  saw 
on  a  subsequent  occasion.  It  is  said  of 
Moses,  Num.  12.  8,  '  the  similitude  of 
the  Lord  shall  he  behold,'  and  as  this 
vision  had  a  direct  reference  to  Christ, 
who  is  'the  image  of  the  invisible  God,' 
and  yet  '  made  in  the  likeness  of  cor- 
ruptible man,'  we  seem  to  perceive  an 
intrinsic  probability  in  the  idea  of  his 
appearing  on  this  occasion,  in  at  least 
a  faint  resemblance  to  that  human  form 
in  which  lie  was  afterwards  to  manifest 
himself  in  accomplishing  the  work  of 
redemption.  I 


Still  we  do  not  insist  on  this  inter- 
pretation. It  may  be  sufficient  to  say 
this  was  a  most  resplendent  display  of 
the  divine  glory  in  that  form  in  which 
the  Shekinah  usually  appeared,  only 
perhaps  in  a  milder  and  more  mitigated 
splendor ;  for  it  seems  clear  that  its 
usual  aspect  was  that  of  an  exceedingly 
bright  and  dazzling  effulgence,  increas- 
ing on  some  occasions  to  the  intensity 
of  a  glowing  and  devouring  flame.  It  is 
clear  that  the  object  seen  could  not 
have  been  God  in  the  unveiled  glory  of 
his  Godhead,  for  him  no  man  hath  seen 
nor  can  see.  It  must  have  been  that 
sensible  manifestation  of  the  Deity 
which  we  have  so  frequently  desig- 
nated by  the  term  Shekinah,  and  which 
we  have  endeavored  to  prove  to  be  uni- 
formly the  Old  Testament  adumbration 
of  Christ.  It  is  unquestionably  the  same 
object  as  that  mentioned  by  Isaiah,  ch. 
6. 1,  'In  the  year  that  KingUzziah  died, 
I  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne, 
high  and  lifted  up,  &c. ;'  for  it  was  only 
as  manifested  in  the  Shekinah  that  'the 
Lord'  (i.e.  Jehovah)  was  ever  seen  un- 
der the  old  dispensation.  It  is  the  same 
object  also  as  that  described  in  the 
vision  of  Ezekiel,  ch.  43.  1,2,  'After- 
ward he  brought  me  to  the  gate,  even 
the  gate  that  looketh  toward  the  east ; 
and,  behold,  the  glory  of  the  God  of 
Israel  came  from  the  way  of  the  east ; 
and  his  voice  was  like  the  noise  of 
many  waters,  and  the  earth  shined  with 
his  glory.'  The  personage  is  evidently 
the  same  ;  it  was  the  'God  of  Israel,' 
whose  theophany  is  described  by  both  j 
and  as  Ezekiel  is  here  prophetically 
setting  forth  the  scenery  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  we  see  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  the  spectacle  witnessed  by  Moses 
was  the  germ  of  that  portrayed  by  Eze- 
kiel, and  that  that  depicted  by  John  was 
merely  a  farther  expansion  of  the  same 
symbolical  embryo.  But  leaving  us 
to  form  our  own  ideas  as  to  this  part 
of  the  vision,  the  historian  is  more  par- 
ticular in  describing  the  footstool  upon 


64 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


11  And  upon  the  nobles  of  the  |  hand:  also  q  they  saw  God,  and  did 


children  of  Israel  he  P  laid  not  his 

Pch.  19.21. 

which  the  visible  Divine  Majesty  rested. 

• IT  Under  his  feet  ds  it  were  a  paved 

work  of  a  sapphire  stone.  Heb.  riC5)2lD 
"T^SCn  riDDp  kemadseh  libnath  hassap- 
piVf  as  the  work  of  brick  of  sapphire. 
That  is,  a  tesselated  pavement,  appa- 
rently constructed  of  solid  blocks  of 
transparent  sapphire  moulded  into  the 
shape  and  size  of  bricks.  The  sapphire 
is  a  precious  stone  of  a  sky-colored 
hue,  next  in  value  and  beauty  to  the 
diamond,  and  there  seems  to  be  an  allu- 
sion to  this  gorgeous  substratum  of  the 
throne  of  the  divine  glory  in  the  proph- 
et's words,  Is.  54.  11,  'I  will  lay  thy 
stones  with  iair  colors,  and  lay  thy 
foundations  with  sapphires.^  In  order 
to  make  the  impression  of  its  appear- 
ance still  more  distinct,  it  is  compared 
to  the  'body  of  heaven  in  its  clearness.' 
That  is  to  say,  it  had  the  aspect  of  the 
azure  vault  of  heaven  as  seen  in  its 
pure  native  splendor,  when  the  atmos- 
phere is  serene  and  unclouded.  The 
eye  then  seems  to  behold  the  naked 
body,  as  it  were,  or  the  very  substance 
of  the  heavenly  ether.  The  whole  spec- 
tacle, viewed  merely  as  a  sensible  phe- 
nomenon, must  have  been  beautiful  and 
glorious  beyond  conception ;  but  its 
glory  in  this  respect  would  no  doubt  be 
far  eclipsed  by  that  of  its  symbolical 
importjcould  we  but  adequately  grasp  it. 
n.  And  upon  the  nobles,  &c.  Heb. 
tD'^^'^llJ^  ctzelim,  magnates,  opt imates, 
the  chief  ■nc7i,  the  grandees;  evidently 
denoting  the  select  and  favored  persons 
above  mentioned,  who  are  here  prob- 
ably called  '  nobles'  from  the  honor  now 
conferred  upon  them  of  being  admitted 
to  witness  such  a  spectacle  ;  as  if  the 
splendor  of  the  divine  presence  enno- 
bled every  thing  that  came  within  its 
sphere.  By  the  '  hand'  of  Jehovah's 
'  not  being  laid  upon  them'  is  doubt- 


r  eat  and  drink. 

q  ver.  10.  ch,  33.  20.  Gen.  16.  13.  &.  32.  30. 
Deut.  4.33.  Judg.  13.  22.  r  Gen.  31.  54. 
ch.   18.  12.     1  Cor.  10.   18. 


less  meant,  that  they  received  no  harm 
from  this  amazing  manifestation.  Con- 
trary to  the  usual  impression  in  regard 
to  the  effect  of  such  displays  of  the  di- 
vine glory,  which  were  thought  to  be 
fatal  to  the  beholder,  they  saw  God  and 
lived.  That  this  is  the  genuine  sense 
of  the  phrase  will  appear  from  the  fol- 
lowing passages  5  Gen.  37.  22,  '  And 
Reuben  said  unto  them.  Shed  no  blood, 
but  cast  him  into  this  pit  which  is  in 
the  wilderness,  and  lay  no  hand  upon 
him;''  i.  e.  do  no  violence  to  him.  Ps. 
138.  7,  'Though  I  walk  in  the  midst  of 
trouble,  thou  wilt  revive  me  ;  thou  shall 
stretch  forth  thine  hand  against  the 
wrath  of  mine  enemies,  and  thy  right 
hand  shall  save  me.'  Neh.  13.21,  'Then 
I  testified  against  them  and  said  unto 
them.  Why  lodge  ye  about  the  wall? 
if  ye  do  so  again,  I  will  lay  hands  on 
you.'  Ps.  55.  20,  'He  hath  put  forth  his 
hand  against  such  as  be  at  peace  with 

him.' IT  Also  they  saw  God,  and  did 

eat  and  drink.  Heb.  t^^il^Kn  Ti^^  ItrT^I 
va-yehezu  cth  ha-Elohim,  and  they  saw 
the  Elohim.  It  is  particularly  worthy 
of  notice,  that  the  original  here  adopts 
a  different  term  for  *  seeing'  from  that 
which  occurs  in  the  preceding  verse — 
'  they  saw  (li^'^'i  yiru)  the  God  of  Is- 
rael,' as  if  that  were  intended  to  refer 
to  the  mere  outward,  ocular,  and  super- 
ficial view  of  the  object  as  at  first  be- 
held. Here  on  the  other  hand,  the  verb  is 
fltn  hazah,  a  term  applied  for  the  most 
part  to  prophetic  vision,  or  that  kind  of 
inward  and  spiritual  perception  which 
was  enjoyed  by  holy  and  inspired  men 
when  in  a  state  of  supernatural  trance 
or  extacy.  In  this  state  the  exercise 
of  the  outward  senses  was  usually  sus- 
pended, and  the  objects  seen  were  pre- 
sented as  pictures  to  the  imagination, 
the  full  significancy  of  which  were  not 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


65 


always  made  known  to  the  beholder. 
In  the  present  instance  we  cannot  affirm 
that  the  ordinary  functions  of  the  eye 
were,  after  a  time,  superseded,  but  we 
have  no  doubt  that  their  minds  were 
gradually  raised  and  sublimated  by  a 
special  divine  influence,  so  that  they 
were  made  the  subjects  of  a  manifesta- 
tion or  revelation  far  beyond  any  thing 
which  their  unaided  faculties  were  ca- 
pable of  attaining.  They  were  under 
an  illapse  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and 
like  Balaam  '  saw  the  vision  of  the  Al- 
mighty, falling  into  a  trance,  but  (prob- 
ably) having  their  eyes  open.'  In  this 
entranced  and  extatic  state  '  they  saw 
God  ;'  i.  e.  they  had  a  prophetic  view 
of  the  Shekinah,  the  symbol  of  the  di- 
vine presence,  not  only  in  the  form  in 
which  it  might  strike  the  senses,  but  in 
its  hidden  interior  import  and  signifi- 
cancy,  as  pointing  to  that  divine  per- 
sonage who  was  now  involved  in  it  and  in 
future  to  be  developed  out  of  it,  first  in 
the  substantiated  form  of  human  flesh, 
as  the  Son  of  God,  humbled,  suffering, 
and  dying  for  the  sins  of  men  ;  and  se- 
condly and  chiefly  as  risen,  glorified, 
and  again  manifested  on  earth  in  the 
splendor  and  magnificence  of  his  second 
coming  and  his  eternal  kingdom.  It  is, 
we  doubt  not,  to  this  future  and  con- 
cummated  glory  of  the  Redeemer,  made 
again  visible  and  taking  up  its  abode 
among  men,  that  the  symbol  of  the 
Shekinah  always  points.  Its  manifesta- 
tion to  Israel  of  old  was  preintimative 
of  its  renewed  appearance  and  estab- 
lishment in  more  sublime  and  glorious 
state  to  the  subjects  of  the  gospel  econ- 
omy in  its  ulterior  periods,  as  set  forth 
in  the  splendid  predictions  of  Isaiah 
and  the  Apocalypse.  It  is  only  in  the 
realization  of  all  that  was  shadowed  by 
the  Shekinah  that  we  are  to  look  for 
the  fulfilment  of  the  assurance  ratified 
by  '  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven,  say- 
ing. Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is 
with  men,  arid  he  will  dwell  with  them, 
and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God 
6* 


himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their 
God.' 

This,  we  are  aware,  is  language 
that  the  Christian  world  have  somehow 
come  to  interpret  vaguely  of  heaven 
considered  as  a  state  removed  to  an  un- 
known distance  both  of  time  and  space 
from  the  state  in  which  our  present  lot 
is  cast ;  but  we  have  greatly  mistaken 
the  drift  of  the  oracles  of  God,  if  the 
conviction  does  not  eventually  grow 
upon  the  church,  that  it  is  in  fact  a 
future  and  an  earthly  state,  a  state  to 
be  gradually  evolved  out  of  the  exist- 
ing order  of  things,  and  to  the  devel- 
opement  of  which  every  Christian  is 
bound  unceasingly  and  strenuously  to 
consecrate  his  efforts.  So  far  as  the 
heaven  of  the  Scriptures  is  identical 
with  the  New  Jerusalem,  the  celestial 
city,  it  is  certainly  future,  for  that  is 
future.  It  is  a  state  which  is  to  be  the 
result  of  a  great  system  of  influences  and 
providences,  now  in  operation,  which 
God  has  designed  shall  precede  and  in- 
troduce it.  It  is  an  economy  or  polity 
which  is  said  to  '  come  down  from  God 
out  of  heaven,'  because  it  is  to  be  de- 
veloped into  being  in  pursuance  of  a 
divine  plan, — as  the  execution  of  a 
scheme  or  program  of  which  God  in 
his  revealed  word  is  the  Author.  In 
like  mamier,  it  might  not  improperly 
be  said  that  the  Tabernacle  and  all  its 
apparatus  came  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  because  Moses  constructed  it 
all  according  to  the  pattern  shown  him 
in  the  mount.  We  suppose  that  it  was 
with  a  view  to  impart  a  prophetic  in- 
timation of  this  great  futurity,  that  the 
present  vision  was  vouchsafed  and  re- 
corded ;  and  that  a  similar  end  was 
contemplated  in  the  similar  disclosures 
made  to  Isaiah,  to  Ezekiel,  to  Daniel, 
and  to  John.  They  all  point  forward  to 
the  blissful  period  referred  to  in  the  an- 
nunciation, '  the  tabernacle  of  God  shall 
be  with  men,'  that  is,  his  Shekinah,  his 
manifested  presence ,  shall  be  with  men ; 
not  only  with  men  in  their  raised  and 


66 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


glorified  and  angelic  bodies,  but  also 
with  men  in  their  human  flesh,  liv- 
ing and  sojourning  on  the  earth  while 
this  resplendent  throne  of  Jehovah  has 
its  seat  in  the  midst  of  them.  And 
this  view,  we  conceive,  aiFords  the  true 
clue  to  the  introduction  of  the  remark- 
able circumstance  mentioned  in  close 
connexion  with  that  of  the  vision  with 
which  Moses  and  the  elders  were  favor- 
ed, viz.,  that  '  they  did  eat  and  drink.' 
Even  granting,  as  is  very  probably  the 
case,  tliat  this  eating  and  drinking  was 
upon  the  peace-offerings  and  the  liba- 
tions which  accompanied  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  covenant,  yet  who  is  not 
struck  by  the  juxta-position  of  things 
apparently  so  remote  from  each  other 
in  their  own  nature,  as  witnessing  a  vi- 
sion of  God  and  satisfying  the  gross 
appetites  of  the  physical  man  ?  Who 
does  not  feel  it  to  be  a  kind  of  violent 
transition  from  the  Spirit  to  the  flesh  ? 
But  suppose  the  incident  to  be  viewed 
as  having,  like  the  rest,  a  prophetical 
bearing  —  suppose  it  be  a  typical  in- 
timation of  the  fact,  that  eating  and 
drinking,  that  is,  enjoying  the  con- 
ditions of  our  present  humanity,  are 
not  in  themselves  inconsistent  with  the 
visible  indwelling  of  the  Most  High  on 
earth  which  we  are  taught  to  expect,  and 
do  we  not  find  a  sufficient  explanation 
of  the  mystery  ?  If  the  vision  here  re- 
corded were  truly  in  its  ultimate  scope, 
prophetical,  and  pointed  to  an  era  when 
the  glory  displayed  to  the  congregation 
at  Sinai  should  be  far  more  illustriously 
displayed  over  the  face  of  the  earth, 
while  the  race  was  yet  sojourning  upon 
it,  would  it  not  be  natural  that  some 
Jiint  should  be  afforded  of  the  intrinsic 
compatibility  of  such  a  manifestation 
with  such  a  mode  of  subsistence  ? 

In  the  foregoing  remarks  we  have 
stated  one,  and,  as  we  conceive,  a 
prominent  one,  of  the  designs  of  God 
iu  granting  to  his  servants  this  signal 
manifestation  of  his  glory.  But  this, 
we  apprehend,  was  not  all.    Admitting 


that  such  an  ultimate  scope  as  we 
have  now  supposed  was  in  fact  couched 
under  the  vision,  it  would  be  natural 
that  a  system  of  rites,  types,  and  shad- 
ows should  be  instituted,  adapted  to 
represent  and  keep  vividly  before  the 
minds  of  the  chosen  people,  the  grand 
end  which  infinite  wisdom  thus  pro- 
posed to  itself  eventually  to  accom- 
plish. To  this  the  Tabernacle  with  its 
various  furniture  and  services,  was  emi- 
nently adapted.  This  sacred  and  sym- 
bolical structure,  with  all  its  appur- 
tenances, M-as  to  be  erected  under  the 
superintendance  of  Moses,  and  that  in 
conformity  to  a  model  divinely  given. 
We  are  expressly  informed  that  he  was 
to  '  make  every  thing  after  the  pattern 
shown  him  in  the  mount.'  This  pattern 
we  suppose  to  have  been  shown  him  on 
this  occasion ;  and  probably  one  main 
reason  of  admitting  Aaron  and  the  elders 
to  a  participation  of  the  vision,  w^as, 
that  by  beholding  the  pattern  they  might 
bear  witness  to  the  fidelity  of  the  copy. 
Otherwise,  what  evidence  could  Moses 
give  to  the  people  that  he  was  acting  in 
obedience  to  a  divine  command  in  erect- 
ing such  a  structure,  of  so  strange  a 
form  and  so  costly  a  character  ?  Would 
the  congregation  have  parted  so  readily 
with  their  treasures,  tlieir  gold  and  sil- 
ver and  jewels,  unless  upon  the  strong- 
est assurance  to  their  ovin  minds  that 
in  so  doing  they  were  fulfilling  an  ex- 
press requisition  of  Jehovah?  The 
presence  of  the  elders  would  give  this 
assurance,  and  we  therefore  deem  it 
reasonable  to  presume  tliat  the  phe- 
nomena of  the  vision  included  the  en- 
tire typical  apparatus  of  the  Taberna- 
cle, and  especially  that  of  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant,  tlie  Mercy-seat,  and  the 
Cherubim,  which  were  in  fact  the  very 
heart  and  nucleus  of  tlie  entire  system, 
and  of  the  import  of  which  we  shall 
speak  more  fully  in  a  subsequent  Note. 
In  all  probability  the  visible  object 
termed  the  '  God  of  Israel'  was  faith- 
fully but   feebly  shadowed  out  in  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


67 


12  H  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 
ses, s  Come  up  to  me  into  the 
mount,  and  be  there:  and  I  will 
give  thee  t  tables  of  stone,  and  a 
law,  and  commandments  which  I 

sver.  2.  15,  18.  tch.  31.  18.  &  32.  15.  16. 
Deut.  5.  22. 

cloud  of  glory  and  the  accompanying 
Cherubim  which  surmounted  the  JMercy- 
seat,  except  that  the  sapphire  pavement 
was  exchanged,  for  uniformity's  sake, 
for  one  of  burnished  gold.  As  to  the 
attendant  angelic  hosts,  which  seem  to 
have  been  conceived  of  as  an  unfailing 
accompaniment  ol'  the  Glory,  and  which 
they  probably  saw,  since  they  could  not 
be  materialized  in  their  multitude,  the 
Cherubic  device  was  adopted  as  a  mys- 
tic embodiment  of  this  order  of  beings. 
But  ol'  this  more  in  the  sequel.  If  our 
suggestions  in  regard  to  the  remarkable 
incident  here  recorded  be  well  founded, 
and  this  were  the  time  when  these  'pat- 
terns of  things  in  the  heavens'  were 
shown  to  Moses,  it  will  follow  that  the 
account  here  given  of  the  vision  is  ex- 
tremely incomplete,  embracing  the  men- 
tion merely  of  the  leading  and  most 
memorable  object  which  they  were  fa- 
vored to  behold.  This  we  infer  from  the 
fact  that  Moses  is  said  to  have  made 
every  thing  according  to  the  pattern 
shown  him  in  the  mount.  But  as  he 
made  many  things  which  he  is  not  ex- 
pressly said  to  have  seen,  w^e  may  fair- 
ly conclude  that  he  does  not  describe 
all  that  he  did  see. 

12.  Come  up  to  me  into  the  Mount,  &c. 
Thus  far  it  would  appear  that  Moses 
had  remained  with  his  company  at  some 
station  part  way  up  the  mountain,  where 
the  vision  w^as  vouchsafed,  but  he  is 
now  commanded  to  leave  his  compan- 
ions, and  advance  towards  the  cloud 
that  rested  on  the  summit,  and  'to  be 
there,'  i.  e.  to  remain  there  some  con- 
siderable time.  The  design  of  the  sum- 
mons is  stated  to  be,  tliat  he  might  re- 
ceive the  engraved  tables  of  the  law, 


have  written;   that  thou  mayest 
teach  them. 

13  And  Moses  rose  up,  and  u  his 
minister  Joshua :  and  Moses  w  went 
up  into  the  mount  of  God. 

u  eh.  32.  17.  &  33.  11.    "' ver.  2. 


containing  that  divine  code  which  he 
was  to  teach  to  the  people,  for  it  is  to 
the  people,  and  not  to  the  command- 
ments, that  the  pronoun  '  them'  refers. 

13.  And  ?iis  minister  Joshua.  Heb. 
irnil'^Q  mesharetho,  his  ministering  at- 
tendant.  The  root  rn'iU  sharath  de- 
notes a  personal  attendance  and  minis- 
try less  servile  than  that  w'hich  is  indi- 
cated by  the  term  Ill's  abad,  to  serve. 
It  points  rather  to  that  honorarj'  at- 
tendance Avhich  is  paid  by  a  courtier  to 
his  sovereign  or  prince,  than  the  menial 
obsequiousness  of  a  slave  to  his  mas- 
ter. See  Note  on  Num.  11.  28.  It  was 
undoubtedly  with  a  view  to  his  future 
office,  that  Joshua  was  called  to  sus- 
tain this  relation  to  Moses.  He  was  to 
be  his  successor  as  leader  of  Israel,  and 
it  was  fitting  that  he  should  begin  by 
degrees  to  be  honored  before  the  con- 
gregation, that  they  might  be  led  the 
more  readily  and  cordially  to  render  to 
him  the  deference  and  respect  to  which 
his  station  would  one  day  entitle  him. 
This  could  scarcely  fail  to  be  the  result 
Avhen  they  saw  him  admitted  nearer  to 
the  manifested  presence  of  God  than 
any  other  individual  except  Moses  him- 
self. We  must  be  strangely  insensible 
to  the  tokens  of  the  divine  will  not  to 
honor  those  whom  God  himself  honors. 

IT  Arid   Moses  went   up  into  the 

mount  of  God.  Chal.  '  Into  the  moun- 
tain  on  which  the  Glory  of  the  Lord 
was  revealed.'  Targ.  Jon.  '  Into  the 
mountain  in  which  the  Glorious  Pre- 
sence  of  the  Lord  was  manifested.' 
Moses  and  Joshua  went  up  to  the  higher 
parts  of  the  mountain,  where  in  all 
probability  the  lower  extremities  or 
fringes  of  the  dark  enveloping  cloud 


68 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


14  And  he  said  unto  the  elders, 
Tarry  ye  here  for  us,  until  we  come 
again  unto  you  :  and  behold,  Aaron 


embosomed  them  in  its  sombre  folds. 
The  bright  interior  cloud  of  the  Glory 
seems  to  have  been  still  higher  up  on 
the  very  apex  of  the  mount,  and  to  have 
been  only  occasionally  disclosed  to  the 
sight  of  the  congregation.  The  com- 
mon spectacle,  we  suppose,  was  that  of 
a  dark  majestic  mass  of  cloud,  within 
which,  but  invisible,  the  splendor  of 
the  Shekinah  abode.  Here  it  would 
seem  that  Moses  and  Joshua  remained 
together  for  six  days,  pavilioned  within 
the  lower  descending  outskirts  of  the 
cloud,  engaged  in  holy  conference  and 
fervent  devotion,  till  on  the  seventh, 
perhaps  the  sabbath  day,  Moses  was 
ordered  to  leave  Joshua,  as  they  had 
both  left  the  elders  below,  and  ascend 
u})  to. the  topmost  summit  of  the  hal- 
lowed mount,  where  the  divine  pres- 
ence was  more  especially  enthroned. 
So  in  our  upward  moral  progress,  be 
our  attainments  what  they  may  at  pres- 
ent, we  are  still  to  aim  at  something 
higher.  Our  arrival  at  one  eminence 
still  leaves  us  at  the  foot  of  another, 
which  equally  claims  to  be  climbed, 
and  until  we  reach  heaven  itself  we 
must  expect  to  see, 

'Hills  peep  o'er  hills,  and  Alps  on  Alps  arise.' 

14.  Tarry  ye  here,  &c.  Aware,  prob- 
ably, that  his  absence  from  the  people 
was  now  to  be  of  longer  duration  than 
usual,  Moses  deems  it  necessary  to 
make  special  provision  for  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice,  and  the  g^eral  man- 
agement of  the  civil  affairs  of  the  peo- 
ple in  the  interval.  For  this  end  he 
commissions  Aaron  and  Hur  to  act  as 
his  deputies  in  judging  causes,  and  tells 
them,  moreover,  to  remain  where  they 
were,  advanced  somewhat  up  the  moun- 
tain, patiently  awaiting  his  and  Joshua's 
return.  It  is  only  thus  that  we  can 
understand  the  plain  language  of  the 


and  Hur  are  with  you  :  if  any  man 
have  any  matters  to  do,  let  him 
come  unto  them. 

text.  Commentators  indeed  have  sup- 
posed that  as  the  people  were  to  have 
constant  resort  to  them  on  matters  of 
business,  and  as  Aaron  is  spoken  of  as 
engaged  in  the  midst  of  the  congrega- 
tion in  making  the  golden  calf,  the 
order  was  for  the  elders  to  remain,  not 
in  the  exact  spot  where  Moses  left  them, 
but  in  the  camp  at  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain, in  the  midst  of  the  people.  But 
this  is  surely  doing  manifest  violence 
to  the  letter  of  the  narrative  ;  and  be- 
sides, if  this  were  the  sense,  what  need 
were  there  of  any  command  at  all ;  for 
where  else  should  they  tarry  but  in  the 
camp  ?  Was  there  any  danger  of  their 
going  away  from  it  ?  The  truth  is,  if 
we  mistake  not,  they  were  expressly 
required  to  abide  in  the  spot  where  they 
had  enjoyed  the  vision  till  Moses  re- 
turned. To  this  spot  such  of  the  people 
as  'had  matters  to  do'  were  permitted 
and  directed  to  come  as  often  as  they 
had  occasion  for  judicial  decisions ; 
and  we  think  that  the  first  step  in 
Aaron's  sin  was  his  deserting  his  post, 
and  going  down,  contrary  to  Moses'  di- 
rection, into  the  midst  of  the  camp. 
He  was  probably  infected  by  the  conta- 
gion of  the  people's  impatience  before 
he  yielded  his  consent  to  join  in  their 
idolatry  ;  thus  affording  us  a  melan- 
choly example  of  the  ruinous  effects  of 
a  single  step  in  the  way  of  transgres- 
sion. No  man  knows  where  he  may  be 
landed  by  the  slightest  aberration  from 
the  path  of  duty.  Neither  the  foot  nor 
the  face  can  be  safely  turned  away  from 
the  post  assigned  us.  Aaron  slid  down 
the  mountain  both  in  a  moral  and  phy^ 

sical  sense  at  the  same  time. IT  Be- 

hold,  Aaron  and  Hur  are  with  yoxt. 
This  was  spoken  to  the  elders,  but  to 
the  elders  as  the  representatives  of  the 
people,  and  so  in  a  sense  sustaining 
their  persons.    The  people,  therefore, 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


6d 


15  And  Moses  went  up  into  the 
mount,  and  ^  a  cloud  covered  the 
mount. 

16  And  ythe  glory  of  the  Lord 
abode  upon  mount  Sinai,  and  the 
cloud  covered  it  six  days :  and  the 
seventh  day  he  called  unto  Moses 
out  of  the  midst  of  the  cloud. 

X  ch.  19.9,  16.  Matt.  17.  5.  y  ch.  16.  10. 
Numb.  14.  10. 

were  to  consider  themselves  as  address- 
ed in  the  address  made  to  their  official 
heads.  This  is  according  to  the  usual 
analogy  of  the  Scripture  idiom,  of  which 

we  shall  find  hundreds  of  examples. 

IT  If  any  man  have  any  matters  to  do. 
Heb.  D"'"lD"I  ^y2  ^12  mi  baal  debarim, 
whoso  is  lord  or  master  of  words  (things, 
matters).  Gr.  and  Chal. 'Whoso  hath 
a  judgment  or  controversy.' 

15.  And  Moses  went  up  into  the  mount, 
&c;  That  is,  Moses  and  Joshua  to- 
gether, as  the  whole  narrative  leads  us 
to  infer.  For  it  was  not  till  six  days 
had  elapsed  that  Moses  was  called  to 
enter  into  the  midst  of  the  cloud  resting 
on  the  liighest  peak  of  the  mountain, 
and  in  the  mean  time  we  cannot  but 
suppose  that  he  and  Joshua  remained 
together.  It  no  more  follows  that 
Joshua  did  not  ascend  with  him,  from 
his  name  not  being  mentioned,  than  it 
does  that  he  is  not  to  be  associated 
with  Moses  in  the  final  clause  of  v.  13, 
where  any  one  can  see  that  such  an  in- 
ference would  be  entirely  erroneous. 

16.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  abode, 
&c.  Heb.  ^'DTI^^  yishkan,  tabernacled. 
From  the  same  root  ']'D'!12  shakan,  comes 
Shekinah,  the  etymology  clearly  indi- 
cating the  relation  of  the  visible  glory 
of  Jehovah  to  some  kind  of  tabernacle 
as  its  appropriate  dwelling  place.  In 
the  present  instance,  we  incline  to  be- 
lieve that  the  dark  cloud  was  the  taber- 
nacle in  which  the  Glory  was  enshrined, 
and  that  this  is  expressly  intimated  in 
the  ensuing  words,  '  the  cloud  covered 
it  six  days,'  i.  e.  covered  the  Glory,  and 


17  And  the  sight  of  the  glory  of 
the  Loud  ivas  like  ^  devouring  fire 
on  the  top  of  the  mount  in  the  eyes 
of  the  children  of  Israel. 

18  And  Moses  went  into  the  midst 
of  the  cloud,  and  gat  him  up  into 
the  mount :  and  a  Moses  was  in  the 
mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights. 

z  ch.  3.  2.  &  19.  18.  Deut.  4.  36.  Hebr.  12. 
18.  29.    a  ch.  34.  28.    Deut.  9.  9. 

not  the  mountain ;  for  thus  the  original 
may  fairly  be  interpreted.  It  is,  in- 
deed true  that  nearly  all  the  ancient 
versions  render  it,  'covered  him,'  i.  e. 
Moses,  but  the  other  sense  is  agreeable 
to  the  original,  and  were  a.  personal  ob- 
ject intended,  we  think  it  more  probable 
the  plural  'them'  would  have  been  em- 
ployed, as  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
Moses  and  Joshua  were  now  together, 
and  both  enshrouded  within  the  borders 
of  the  cloudy  crown  which  covered  the 
brow  of  the  mountain.  On  the  seventh 
day  the  divine  summons  called  Moses 
up  to  the  utmost  heights  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  then  we  suppose  the  dark  thick 
cloud  was  rent  and  opened  in  the  sight 
of  all  Israel,  and  the  inner  glory  broke 
forth  like  devouring  fire.  In  the  midst 
of  this  opened  cloud,  Moses  was  en- 
abled boldly  to  enter,  although  to  the 
multitude  below  it  probably  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  entering  into  the  mouth  of 
a  fiery  furnace,  which  threatened  in- 
stantaneous destruction.  But  Moses 
was  one  whom  the  special  favor  of  hea- 
ven enabled  to  '  dwell  even  with  this 
devouring  fire,'  without  either  a  hair  of 
his  head,  or  a  thread  of  his  garments, 
feeling  the  action  of  the  consuming  ele- 
ment. There  he  continued  fasting  forty 
days  and  forty  nights,  receiving  further 
instructions,  and  no  doubt  enjoying  the 
most  transporting  discoveries  of  the  di- 
vine glory.  The  six  days  mentioned, 
v.  16,  were  probably  not  a  part  of  the 
forty  ;  for  during  those  six  days  Moses 
and  Joshua  were  together,  and  both 
probably  ate  of  mauna  as  usual,  and 


70 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


drank  of  the  brook  mentioned  Deut.  9. 
21  ;  but  Avhen  Moses  was  called  into 
the  midst  of  the  cloud,  his  forty  days 
fasting  commenced,  while  Joshua,  in 
the  mean  time,  no  doubt  continued  to 
eat  and  drink  daily  w^hile  waiting  for 
Moses'  return. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  TABERNACLE. 

As  we  enter  in  the  present  chapter 
upon  the  directions  given  to  Moses  for 
the  erection  and  furnishing  of  the  sacred 
structure  called  the  Tabernacle,  it  will 
be  proper  to  dwell  a  little  in  the  outset 
upon  the  grand  design  of  an  edifice  so 
remarkable  in  itself,  and  holding  so 
prominent  a  place  in  the  Mosaic  econ- 
omy. The  Tabernacle  was,  in  fact,  the 
central  object  in  the  Jewish  system  of 
worship,  and  Avithout  a  tolerably  cor- 
rect idea  of  its  form,  uses,  and  ends, 
our  view  of  the  genius  and  scope  of  the 
Hebrew  ritual  will  be  essentially  de- 
fective. It  may  perhaps  be  admitted, 
that  as  some  of  these  ends  wei'e  of 
typical  import,  pointing  forward  to  a 
period  of  the  Christian  dispensation 
which  has  not  yet  been  fully  developed, 
we  may  not  be  able  to  unfold,  in  all  its 
fullness,  in  the  present  state  of  our 
knowledge,  the  entire  reach  of  meaning 
which  in  the  divine  mind  was  couched 
under  this  significant  structure,  and  its 
successor  the  Temple.  Yet  with  the 
lights  reflected  upon  it  from  the  expo- 
sitions of  the  New  Testament  and  the 
predictions  of  the  Old,  we  may  doubt- 
less attain  to  an  interesting  and  edify- 
ing insight  into  its  leading  drift.  We 
are  persuaded  that  it  is  a  study  fraught 
with  the  most  important  practical  re- 
sults, and  though  generally  considered, 
like  the  other  symbolical  portions  of 
the  Scriptures,  as  constituting  a  field  of 
mere  curious,  fanciful,  and  speculative 
research,  yet  we  cannot  question  that 
this  opinion  Avill  be  ere  long  entirely 
reversed  by  a  deeper  reverence  for  every 


part  of  revelation  subordinating  to  itself 
the  irrepressible  spirit  of  inquiry  which 
is  pervading  every  department  of  know- 
ledge whether  scientific  or  sacred,  na- 
tural or  supernatural.  The  book  of 
revelation,  like  the  book  of  nature,  is 
designed  to  be  of  gradual  development, 
and  we  know  not  why  it  is  not  as  rea- 
sonable to  look  for  the  opening  of  new 
mines  of  scriptural  wealth,  as  of  new 
mineral  treasures,  tliat  have  been  im- 
bedded for  ages  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth. — But  to  the  point  which  we  have 
more  immediately  in  hand. 

The  opinion  has  been  widely  enter- 
tained, that  in  the  early  ages  of  the 
world,  under  the  impression  of  the 
grand  truth  that  *  God  is  a  spirit,  and 
that  they  that  worship  him  must  wor- 
ship him  in  spirit  and  in  truth,' — that 
this  divine  spirit  filled  all  things,  and 
was  equally  present  in  all  parts  of  his 
creation  —  men  had  no  sacred  places, 
but  worshipped  God  wherever  and  when- 
ever their  hearts  were  drawn  ibrth  to- 
wards him  in  veneration,  gratitude,  or 
love.  To  the  soundness  of  this  opinion 
thus  broadly  expressed,  we  are  disposed 
to  object,  on  the  same  grounds  on  which 
we  object  to  the  theory  that  makes  the 
primitive  state  of  man  a  savage  state. 
It  is  not,  we  conceive,  in  accordance 
with  the  recorded  facts  of  inspired  his- 
tory.  We  cannot  but  conclude,  from 
the  tenor  of  the  sacred  narrative,  that 
from  the  creation  of  Adam  to  the  pre- 
sent time,  God  has  dealt  Avith  man  by 
way  of  express  revelation.  The  infancy 
of  the  race  was  cradled  in  the  midst  of 
supernatural  disclosures,  and  the  light 
of  the  divine  manifestations  continued  to 
shine  with  brighter  or  dimmer  beams 
upon  its  advancing  youth  and  manhood, 
up  to  the  riper  age  Avhich  it  has  now 
attained.  With  the  record  of  Genesis 
before  us  we  cannot  question  that  Je- 
hovah manifested  himself  between  the 
Cherubims  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of 
Eden,  and  that  this  earliest  exhibition 
of    the   Shekinah  was    the    appointed 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


71 


place  of  worship  for  Adam  and  his  fam- 
ily, the  place  to  which  Cain  and  Abel 
brought  their  oblations,  and  the  place 
from  which  Cain,  after  the  murder  of 
his  brother,  retired  in  miserable  exile, 
when  he  is  said  to  have  fled  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.     True  it  is,  that 
the  major  part  of  the  race  lapsed,  by  a 
very  early  defection,  into  the  grossest 
idolatry,  and  the  visible  symbols  of  the 
divine  presence,  if  enjoyed  at  all,  were 
confined  to  a  select  few  ;  but  we  know 
not  that  we  are  warranted  in  the  belief 
that  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  or 
of  the  right  mode  of  worshipping  him, 
has  at  any  time  become  entirely  extinct 
on  earth.     As  a   matter,    however,  of 
historical  fact  it  is  unquestionable  that 
most  of  the  early  nations  of  the  world, 
under   the   promptings   of   a   religious 
principle,  rendered  their  worship,  such 
as  it  was,   in   a  vague   and   informal 
manner,  without   temple  or  ritual,  to 
the  invisible  Deity  in  whom  they  were 
taught  to  believe.    It  was  not  unnatural 
that  in  these  circumstances  they  should 
have  selected  the  tops  of  mountains  and 
the  shade  of  groves  as  the  seat  of  their 
worship,  and  there  fixed  their  altars  for 
sacrifice.    But  in  process  of  time,  as 
men  sank  deeper  and  deeper  into  idol- 
atry,  the  practice  of  worshipping  on 
high  places  and  in  groves  became  asso- 
ciated with  so  many  vile  abominations, 
that  it  was  utterly  forbidden  to  the  Is- 
raelites, to  whom  God  was  pleased  to 
prescribe    a    localized    worship,    first 
within  the  precincts  of  a  Tabernacle, 
and  afterwards  of  a  Temple.   The  Tab- 
ernacle was  little  else  than  a  portable 
temple  ;  as  no  other  kind  of  structure 
would  have  suited  the  earlier  circum- 
stances of  the  chosen  race.    A  nomade 
people  would  of  course  have  a  moveable 
temple  ;    and,  among  a  tent-dwelling 
people,  that  temple  would  naturally  be 
a  tent  or  a  portable  fabric  of  wood.   An 
immoveable  temple  could  only  be  ex- 
pected to  be  found  among  a  settled  race- 
and  when  a  moving  people  become  set- 


tled, and  exchange  their  tents  for  houses, 
in  like  manner  their  moveable  taber- 
nacles become  fixed  temples.  'See  now,' 
said  David,  'I  dwell  in  a  house  of  cedar, 
but  the  ark  of  God  dwelleth  between 
curtains.'  He  therefore  proposed  that 
the  house  of  God  should  no  longer  be  a 
tent,  but  a  fabric  of  stone,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  altered  circumstances  of 
the  people.  But  until  the  Israelites 
were  settled  in  the  land  of  promise, 
their  sacred  edifice,  if  they  had  one, 
must  necessarily  be  such  as  they  could 
easily  take  to  pieces  and  transfer  from 
place  to  place.  The  object  of  such  a 
building  was  not,  like  that  of  our 
churches,  as  a  place  of  shelter  for  the 
assembled  worshippers,  for  the  wor- 
shippers assembled  not  in  the  temples, 
but  in  the  courts  before  or  around  them; 
nor  yet  as  places  for  offering  sacrifices, 
for  the  sacrifices  were  also  offered  in 
the  courts.  Its  true  design  was  as  a 
mansion  of  the  Deity,  a  dwelling-place 
for  the  divine  presence.  This  was  es- 
pecially and  preeminently  the  object  of 
the  Jewish  Tabernacle.  It  was  intend- 
ed as  a  habitation  of  the  visible  symbol 
of  Jehovah,  or  the  Shekinah,  as  the  God 
and  King  of  the  chosen  people,  who,  as 
we  have  seen  above,  is  emphatically 
designated  'the  God  of  Israel.' 

In  ordering  the  construction  of  such 
a  building,  we  may  admit  that  there 
was  an  accommodation  to  ideas  then 
very  universally  prevalent,  and  which 
from  their  residence  in  Egypt  had  be- 
come familiar  to  the  minds  of  the  Is- 
raelites. The  Egyptians  and  other- 
heathen  nations  boasted  of  the  presence 
of  their  gods  among  them  in  their  tem- 
ples and  tabernacles ;  and  as  God  had 
been  pleased  from  the  earliest  periods 
to  reveal  himself  to  the  patriarchs  by 
visible  manifestation,  it  was  not  un- 
natural that  he  should  at  length  confer 
upon  his  people  the  permanent  tokens 
of  a  peculiar  local  presence  in  some 
such  striking  and  glorious  symbol  as 
that  of  the  Shekinah.    With  this  view 


72 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


he  directed  the  Tabernacle  to  be  erect- 
ed as  a  suitable  abode  for  his  visible 
majesty.  As  such  it  possessed  the  two- 
fold character  of  a  Sanctuary,  or  holy 
place,  a  place  of  worship ;  and  of  a 
Royal  Palace ;  where  he  would  keep 
the  state  of  a  court,  as  supreme  civil 
magistrate  and  king  of  Israel ;  from 
whence  he  would  issue  his  laws  and 
commandments  as  from  an  oracle,  and 
where  he  was  to  receive  the  homage 
and  tribute  of  his  subjects.  This  idea 
of  the  Tabernacle,  as  in  part  that  of  a. 
palace  for  a  king,  will  seem  perfectly- 
clear  to  every  one  who  carefully  notes 
the  terms  in  which  this  building  and 
also  the  Temple  are  spoken  of  and  re- 
ferred to  throughout  the  Scriptures ; 
and  we  doubt  not  it  is  a  view  essential 
to  the  right  understanding  of  these 
structures  and  the  things  which  belong- 
ed to  them.  It  is  a  view  also  which  is 
held  by  the  Jews  themselves,  who  carry 
out  the  analogy  and  regard  the  utensils 
of  the  Tabernacle  as  palace  furnihire 
and  the  priests  as  its  ministers  of  state 
and  officers.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
following  comment  of  Rab.  Shem  Tob 
on  Maimonides  as  cited  by  Outram  on 
Sacrifices,  Diss.  I.  §  3.  '  God,  to  whom 
be  praise,  commanded  a  house  to  be 
built  for  him  resembling  a  royal  palace. 
In  a  royal  palace  are  to  be  found  all  the 
things  that  we  have  mentioned.  There 
are  some  persons  who  guard  the  palace  ; 
others  who  execute  offices  belonging  to 
the  royal  dignity,  who  furnish  the  ban- 
quets, and  do  other  necessary  services 
for  the  monarch  ;  others  who  daily  en- 
tertain him  with  music,  both  vocal  and 
instrumental.  In  a  royal  palace  there 
is  a  place  appointed  for  the  preparation 
of  victuals,  and  another  [nearer  the 
Presence]  where  perfumes  are  burned. 
In  the  palace  of  a  king  there  is  also  a 
table,  and  an  apartment  exclusively  ap- 
propriated to  himself,  which  no  one 
ever  enters,  except  him  who  is  next  in 
authority,  or  those  whom  he  regards 
with  the  greatest  affection.      In  like 


manner  it  was  the  will  of  God  to  have 
all  these  in  his  house,  that  he  might  not 
in  anything  give  place  to  the  kings  of 
the  earth.  For  he  is  a  great  king,  not 
indeed  in  want  of  these  things :  but 
hence  it  is  easy  to  see  the  reason  of  the 
daily  provisions  given  to  the  priests 
and  Levites,  being  what  every  monarch 
is  accustomed  to  allow  his  servants. 
And  all  these  things  were  intended- to 
instruct  the  people  that  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  was  present  among  us,  'For  he 
is  a  great  king,  and  to  be  feared  by  all 
the  nations.'  These  analogies  will  be 
the  more  apparent  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  the  comparisons  are  to  be  re- 
ferred to  an  Oriental  rather  than  a  Eu- 
ropean palace. 

We  do  not,  however,  consider  it  suffi- 
cient to  regard  such  a  view  of  the  Taber- 
nacle as  founded  solely  upon  the  usages 
of  royalty  as  then  existing.  We  are 
satisfied  that  its  typical  design  is  ne- 
cessary to  account  for  those  features 
which  it  possessed  in  common  with  the 
palaces  of  kings.  The  Glory  that  dwelt 
both  in  the  Tabernacle  and  the  Temple 
v/as  preintimative  of  the  even  j'^et  future 
manifested  glory  of  Christ,  to  which  the 
'  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature' 
has  been  long  looking  forward,  and  of 
which  the  incipient  daw^nings  begin  now 
faintly  to  appear.  The  import  of  the 
ancient  visible  Shekinah  and  its  ma- 
terial habitation  has  never  yet  been 
realized  as  it  is  destined  to  be  in  the 
latter  day  on  earth  ;  nor  do  we  conceive 
it  possible  to  gain  a  full  and  adequate 
idea  of  the  kingly  features  of  this  typ- 
ical establishment  without  looking  for- 
ward to  the  time  when  the  Savior,  com- 
bining sacerdotal  sanctity  with  royal 
dignity,  shall  sit  '  a  priest  upon  his 
throne,''  in  the  earthly  Zion,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  entire  drift  of  the  Old 
Testament  prophecies.  This  is  the  state 
to  which  the  anticipations  of  all  Chris- 
tians are  really  directed— a  state  which  is 
to  be  ultimately  evolved  out  of  the  pres- 
ent by  a  stupendous  order  of  changes, 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


n 


moral,  political,  and  physical.  The 
New  Jerusalem  of  the  Apocalypse  is  the 
grand  object  of  the  Christian's  hope,  and 
it  is  in  that  glorious  dispensation,  the 
theatre  of  which  is  the  earth  that  we 
now  inhabit,  that  we  are  to  look  for  the 
substantial  realities  so  strikingly  figur- 
ed in  the  ritual  apparatus  of  the  old 
economy.  It  is  the  state  constituted 
by  the  final  developemcnt  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  out  of  the  regenerated 
and  transferred  dominions  and  dynas- 
ties of  the  earth,  over  which  Jesus 
Christ  is  to  reign  in  visible  majesty,  his 
redeemed  people  being  made,  in  some 
way  at  present  inscrutable  to  us,  to 
share  with  him  in  the  beatitudes  and 
glories  of  his  eternal  kingship.  It  is 
in  that  dispensation,  or  perhaps  we  may 
say,  in  that  stage  of  this  dispensation, 
that  the  things  mystically  foreshown  bj^ 
the  Tabernacle  structure  and  the  Taber- 
nacle furniture  will  be  made  real.  It 
will  then  appear  how  admirably  adapt- 
ed it  was  in  its  twofold  character  of 
Sanctuary  and  Palace  to  correspond 
with  the  twofold  functions  of  Christ  as 
Priest  and  King.  But  the  farther  un- 
folding of  this  view  of  the  subject  would 
carry  us  imperceptibly  into  the  region 
of  prophetic  exposition,  Avhich  our  pres- 
ent plan  does  not  embrace. 

The  detailed  and  minute  account 
which  we  propose  to  give  of  every  part 
of  the  Tabernacle  may  be  prefaced  with 
the  following  general  description,  for 
the  most  part  in  the  words  of  the  Editor 
of  the  Pictorial  Bible.  First  there  was 
the  area  or  court  in  which  the  Taber- 
nacle stood.  This  was  of  an  oblong 
figure  of  a  hundred  cubits  (about  150 
feet)  long,  by  fifty  cubits  (about  75  feet) 
broad ;  and  the  height  of  the  inclosing 
curtain  was  five  cubits  or  nearly  three 
yards,  being  half  the  height  of  the  Tab- 
ernacle. The  inclosure  was  formed  by 
a  plain  hanging  of  fine  twined  linen 
yarn,  which  seems  to  have  been  work- 
ed in  an  open  or  net-work  texture,  so 
that  the  people  without  might  freely 

Vol.  II.  7 


see  the  interior.  The  door-curtain  was 
however  of  a  different  texture  from  the 
general  hanging,  being  a  great  curtain 
of  '  fine  twined  linen,'  embroidered  with 
blue,  purple,  and  scarlet.  It  is  describ- 
ed in  precisely  the  same  terms  as  the 
door-curtain  of  the  Tabernacle  itself, 
wliich  was  not,  as  commonly  stated,  of 
the  same  fabric  with  the  inner  covering 
of  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  veil  before 
the  holy  of  holies ;  for  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  two  door-curtains  there  is  no 
mention  of  the  figures  of  cherubim  and 
the  fancy  work  ('  cunning  work')  which 
decorated  the  inner  covering  and  vail. 
The  door-curtain  of  the  court  was  fur- 
nished with  cords,  by  which  it  might  be 
drawn  up  or  aside  when  the  priests  had 
occasion  to  enter.  The  curtains  of  this 
inclosure  were  hung  upon  sixty  pillars 
of  brass,  standing  on  bases  of  the  same 
metal,  but  with  capitals  and  fillets  of 
silver.  (Compare  the  description  in  this 
chapter  with  that  in  chap.  38.)  The 
hooks  also,  to  which  the  curtains  were 
attached,  were  of  silver.  The  entrance 
of  the  court  was  at  the  east  end,  op- 
posite that  to  the  Tabernacle ;  and  be- 
tween them  stood  the  altar  of  burnt 
offering,  but  nearer  to  the  door  of  the 
Tabernacle  than  to  that  of  the  court. 
It  is  uncertain  whether  the  brazen  laver 
was  interposed  between  the  altar  and 
the  door  of  the  Tabernacle  or  not.  Chap. 
30.  18,  certainly  conveys  that  impres- 
sion ;  but  the  Rabbins,  who  appear  to 
have  felt  that  nothing  could  properly 
interpose  between  the  altar  and  Taber- 
nacle, say  that  the  laver  was  indeed 
nearer  to  the  Tabernacle  than  was  the 
altar,  but  still  that  it  did  not  stand  in 
the  same  line  with  the  altar,  but  stood 
a  little  on  one  side  to  the  south.  As  to 
the  position  of  the  Tabernacle  in  the 
court,  nothing  is  said  in  the  Scriptures 
on  the  subject,  but  it  seems  less  prob- 
able  that  it  stood  in  the  centre  than 
that  it  was  placed  towards  the  farther 
or  western  extremity,  so  as  to  allow 
greater   space  for  the  services  which 


74 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491*^ 


were  to  be  performed  exclusively  in 
front  of  the  Tabernacle. 

The  fabric  properly  called  the  Taber- 
nacle having  moveable  walls  of  board, 
was  of  a  more  substantial  character 
than  a  tent ;  but  it  is  right  to  regard  it 
as  a  tent,  its  general  appearance  and 
arrangement  being  the  same,  and  its 
more  substantial  fabric  being  probably 
on  account  of  the  weight  of  its  several 
envelopes  which  required  stronger  sup- 
ports than  are  usually  necessary.  It 
was  of  an  oblong  figure,  fifty-five  feet  in 
length,  by  eighteen  feet  in  breadth  and 
height.  Its  length  extended  from  east 
to  west,  the  entrance  being  at  the  east 
end.  The  two  sides  and  west  end  con- 
sisted of  a  framework  of  boards,  of 
which  there  were  twenty  on  each  side 
and  eight  at  the  west  end.  The  man- 
ner in  which  these  boards  were  joined 
to  each  other  so  as  to  form  a  wall 
which  might  be  easily  taken  down  and 
set  up  again,  may  be  illustrated  in  some 
degree  by  a  reference  to  the  window- 
shutters  of  an  extensive  shop ;  but  the 
boards  of  the  Tabernacle  did  not  slide 
in  grooves,  but  each  was  furnished  at  the 
bottom  with  two  tenons,  which  were 
received  into  sockets  in  the  bases  of 
solid  silver;  and  to  give  the  whole 
greater  security,  the  boards  were  fur- 
nished each  with  five  rings  or  staples  of 
gold,  by  means  of  which  they  were  suc- 
cessively run  up  to  their  proper  places 
on  horizontal  poles  or  bars^  which  serv- 
ed as  the  ribs  of  the  fabric,  binding  its 
parts  together.  The  boards  as  well  as 
the  bars  were  of  shittim  wood,  overlaid 
with  thin  plates  of  gold.  The  east  end, 
being  the  entrance,  had  no  boards,  but 
was  furnished  with  five  pillars  of  shit- 
tim wood  overlaid  with  gold,  and  each 
standing  on  a  socket  of  brass.  Four 
similar  pillars  within  the  Tabernacle, 
towards  the  west  or  further  end,  sup- 
ported a  rich  hanging,  which  divided 
the  interior  into  two  apartments,  of 
which  the  outer  was  called  '  the  holy 
place/  aod  the  iaoermost  and  smallest 


was  '  the  most  holy  place,'  or  the  'Holy 
of  Holies,'  in  which  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  was  more  immediately  manifest- 
ed. The  separating  hanging  was  called, 
by  way  of  eminence,  'the  vail;'  and 
hence  the  expression  '  within'  or  '  with- 
out the  vail'  is  sometimes  used  to  dis- 
tinguish the  most  holy  from  the  holy 
place.  The  people  were  never  admitted 
into  the  interior  of  the  tabernacle.  None 
but  the  priests  might  go  even  into  the 
outer  chamber  or  holy  place,  and  into 
the  inner  chamber  the  high-priest  alone 
was  allowed  to  enter,  and  that  only 
once  in  the  year,  on  the  great  day  of 
atonement.  To  this,  however,  there 
was  a  necessary  exception  when  the 
Tabernacle  was  to  be  taken  down  or  set 
up.  The  outer  chamber  was  only  en- 
tered in  the  morning  to  offer  incense  on 
the  altar  Avhich  stood  there,  and  to  ex- 
tinguish the  lamps,  and  again  in  the 
evening  to  light  them.  On  the  Sabbath 
also  the  old  shew-bread  was  taken  away 
and  replaced  with  new.  These  were 
all  the  services  for  which  the  attend- 
ance of  the  priests  was  necessary  with- 
inj.he  Tabernacle,  all  the  sacrifices  be- 
ing made  in  the  open  space  in  front  of 
the  Tabernacle,  where  stood  tlie  brazen 
altar  for  burnt  offerings.  It  will  be  use- 
ful to  observe,  that  the  most  holy  place 
contained  only  the  ark  with  its  con- 
tents ;  that  the  outer  apartment  con- 
tained the  altar  of  incense,  the  table  of 
shew-bread,  and  the  great  golden  candle- 
stick ;  while  the  open  area  in  front  of  the 
Tabernacle  contained  the  brazen  laver 
for  the  ablutions  of  the  priests,  and  the 
brazen  altar  for  burnt  offerings. 

This  description  will  give  an  idea  of 
the  general  arrangement  and  substan- 
tial structure  of  the  Tabernacle ;  and 
we  may  proceed  to  notice  the  various 
curtains  which  were  thrown  over  and 
formed  the  outer  coverings  of  the  tent. 
The  first  or  inner  covering  was  of  fin 
linen,  splendidly  embroidered  with  fig- 
ures of  cherubim  and  fancy  work  in 
scarlet,  purple,  and  light  blue.    It  is 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


75 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A  ND  the  Lord  spake  unto  Mo- 
-^  ses,  saying, 

2  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Is- 
rael that  they  bring  me  an  offer- 
described  in  the  same  terms  as  the  vail 
of  the  '  holy  of  holies,'  and  was  doubt- 
less of  the  same  texture  and  appear- 
ance with  the  vail,  which,  according  to 
Josephus,  was  embroidered  v.'ith  all 
sorts  of  flowers,  and  interwoven  with 
various  ornamented  figures,  excepting 
the  forms  of  animals.  Over  this  inner 
covering  was  another,  made  of  goats' 
hair,  which  was  spun  by  the  women  of 
the  camp.  Cloth  made  of  goats'  hair 
forms  the  customary  covering  for  the 
tents  of  the  Bedouin  Arabs  to  this  day, 
and  it  still  continues  to  be  spun  and 
woven  at  home  by  the  women.  Over 
this  covering  was  another  of  rams'  skins 
dyed  red,  and  over  that  the  fourth  and 


ing  :  a  of  every  man  that  giveth  it 
willingly  with  his  heart  ye  shall 
take  my  offering. 

•^  ch.35.  5,21.  1  Cliron.  29.  3.5,  9,  14.  Ezra 
2.  63.  &  3.  5.  &  7.  16.  Nell.  11.  2.  2  Cor.  8. 
12.  &  9.  7. 

outermost  covering  of  tahash  skins  (see 
the  Note  on  chap.  25.5).  These  cur- 
tains, after  covering,  or  rather  forming, 
the  roof,  hung  down  by  the  sides  and 
west  end  of  the  Tabernacle,  those  that 
were  outside  being  calculated  to  protect 
the  more  costly  ones  within,  while  the 
whole  combined  to  render  the  Taber- 
nacle impervious  to  the  rain,  and  safe 
from  tlie  injuries  of  the  weather. 

The  annexed  cut  will  give  to  the 
reader  somewhat  of  an  adequate  idea 
of  the  frame  ivork  of  the  Tabernacle, 
while  we  have  reserved  to  a  subsequent 
Note,  ch.  26.  14,  a  view  of  the  slructm-e 
in  its  completed  state  with  its  envelope 
of  curtains. 


The  Frame-Work  of  the  Tabernacle. 


2.  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel^ 
that  they  bring  me,  &c.  Heb.  'i^  inp^l 
va-yikhu  li,  that  they  take  for  me.  The 
original  word  for  'take'  very  frequently 
has  the  import  of  take  and  bring,  take 
and  give,  or  take  and  offer.  Thus  Gen. 
15.  9,  'Take  me  an  heifer  of  three  years 
old  ;'  i.  e.  take  and  offer.  So  Ps%  6S.  18, 
'  Thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men  :' 


bestow  them  upon  men,  as  expound td 
by  the  apostle,  Eph.  4.  8,  'gave  gifts 
unto  men.'  Thus  too  1  Kings,  3.  24, 
'And  the  king  said.  Bring  me  a  sword  j' 
Heb.  'take  me  a  sword.'  1  Kings,  17. 
10,  'Fetch  me  a  little  Avater ;'  Heb, 
'take  me  a  little  water.' M  An  offer- 
ing. Heb.  ri?3l^ri  terumah,  an  eleva' 
lion,  a  heave-offering,  so  called  from 


Heb.  'Ihou  hast  taken i^  i.  e.  in  order  to  J  its  being  lifted  up  when  it  was  laid  on 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


3  And  this  is  the  offering  which 
ye  shall  take  of  them ;  gold,  and 
silver,  and  brass, 

the  altar  in  the  act  of  presentation. 
Chal.  'Separate  a  separation  before  nie  ;' 
that  is,  such  things  as  they  should  be 
disposed  to  set  apart  from  their  effects 
and  consecrate  to  the  Lord.  The  orig- 
inal term  comes  from  1D"1~|  rum,  to  lift 
up,  to  be  lifted  up,  and  is  generally  ap- 
propriated to  sacrificial  offerings,  which 
were  at  least  lifted  up  on  the  altar,  if 
not  previously  heaved  or  waved  in  the 
air  by  way  of  oblation.  It  is  elsewhere 
employed  as  a  very  general  term  for 
any  thing  separated  and  7nade  a  dona- 
tion to  God,  and  is  applied,  Ezek.  48. 
9 — 20,  even  to  the  land  which  was  to  be 
sacredly  devoted  to  God  and  the  priests 
of  the  Temple,  and  which  is  rendered 
in  our  version  '  oblation.'  In  this  con- 
nexion it  seems  to  imply,  that  the  offer- 
ings thus  voluntarily  made  under  the 
promptings  of  a  noble  and  liberal  spirit, 
were  as  acceptable  to  God,  as  truly 
hallowed  in  his  sight,  as  if  they  had 
been  real  sacrifices.  Thus  we  read  of 
good  men  offering  'sacrifices  of  praise.' 
It  is  no  doubt  with  a  view  to  intimate 
the  same  idea,  that  the  Gr.  and  Vulg. 
render  it  'first-fruits  ;'  as  if  it  would  be 
deemed  the  best  and  choicest  of  every 
thing  that  they  could  offer.  What  is 
done  from  upright  motives  and  in  a  gen- 
erous spirit  for  God  will  always  be  sure 
of  being  rated  and  denominated  as  it 

deserves. IT  That  giveth  it  willingly 

with  his  heart.  Heb.  ID^  13^^  ^^5* 
asher  yiddebennu  libbo,  whose  heart 
moveth  him  to  willingness,  or  liberality. 
The  proposed  oblation  was  neither  to 
be  exacted  by  compulsion  nor  regulated 
by  prescription,  but  every  one  was  left 
to  give  after  the  promptings  of  his  own 
heart.  Gr.  '  Of  all  to  whom  it  shall 
seem  good  in  their  hearts.'  Vulg.  *0f 
every  man  that  offereth  of  his  own  ac- 
cord.' The  original  ^1'2  nadab  is  fre- 
quently used  in  the  sense  of  a  liberal, 


4  And  blue,  and  purple,  and  scar- 
let, and  fine  linen,  and  goats' 
hair. 

voluntary,  and  free-hearted  offering, 
and  the  correlative  derivative  rnSlD 
nedaboth  occurs  with  a  parallel  meaning 
Ps.  110.  3,  'Thy  people  shall  be  will- 
ing (nii~3  nedaboth,  lit.  willingnesses) 
in  the  day  of  the  power  ;'  where  the 
drift  of  the  Psalmist  appears  to  be,  to 
compare  the  abundance  of  the  free-will 
offerings  made  to  the  Messiah  in  the 
latter  day  for  the  beautifying  his  sanc- 
tuary (tinp  "^"linn  behadrc  kodcsh, 
with  the  adornments  of  the  holy)  with 
the  profusion  of  the  gifts  that  were  so 
largely  poured  forth  at  the  setting  up 
of  the  Tabernacle.  They  shall  come 
forth  as  copiously  as  the  drops  of  dew 
from  the  womb  of  the  morning;  in  a 
bountifulness  at  least  equal  to  that 
when  the  dew  of  its  noble  munificence 
was  upon  the  youth  of  the  Israelitish 
church.  A  very  appropriate  comment- 
ary on  the  present  passage  is  afforded 
in  the  subsequent  account  of  its  execu- 
tion, Ex.  35.21,  22,  'And  they  came, 
every  one  whose  heart  stirred  him  up, 
and  every  one  whom  his  spirit  made 
willing,  and  they  brought  the  Lord's 
offering  to  the  work  of  the  Tabernacle 
of  the  congregation,  and  for  all  his  ser- 
vice, and  for  the  holy  garments.  And 
they  came,  both  men  and  women,  as 
many  as  were  willing-hearted,  and 
brought  bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  and 
rings,  and  tablets,  all  jewels  of  gold : 
and  every  man  that  offered,  offered  an 
offering  of  gold  unto  the  Lord.'  As  the 
Lord  loves  a  cheerful  giver,  so  the  spirit 
of  a  true  servant  of  Jesus  Christ  prompts 
him  to  ask  not  only  what  he  must  do 
for  his  heavenly  master,  but  what  he 
may  do.  See  a  farther  consideration  of 
the  conduct  of  the  people  on  this  occa- 
sion in  the  Note  on  Ex.  35.  29. 

3.  Gold,  and  silver,  and  brass.  'Here 
and  elsewhere  we  find  mentioned  to- 
gether, the  metals  which  were  procured 


B  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


77 


the  earliest,  and  first  applied  to  pur- 
poses of  use  and  ornament.  No  other 
metals  were  employed  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Tabernacle,  nor  any  others 
mentioned  but  in  such  slight  allusions 
as  to  show  that  they  were  indeed  known, 
but  not  in  common  use.  The  Hebrew 
has  the  same  word  for  both  copper  and 
b7-ass,  but  our  translation  always  ren- 
ders it  by  brass,  even  when  the  context 
shows  that  the  simple  metal  (copper) 
is  intended — as  in  Deut.  8.  9,  'Out  of 
whose  hills  thou  mayest  dig  brass'' — 
i.  e,  copper,  brass  being  a  compound 
factitious  preparation.  It  is  not  always 
easy  to  distinguish  where  the  word  in 
the  original  denotes  bras.s,  and  where 
copper.  Perhaps  we  should  always  un- 
derstand the  latter  in  the  more  early 
passages  where  it  occurs ;  and  in  later 
times  we  may  assume  that  brass  is  in- 
tended where  something  refined  and  or- 
namental is  implied  in  the  text.  The 
three  metals,  gold,  silver,  and  copper, 
w  ere  naturally  the  first  which  men  ap- 
propriated to  their  service  ;  and  the 
Scripture  exhibits  them  as  in  use,  and 
even  abundant,  in  Egypt  and  Palestine 
a  few  ages  after  the  flood.  We  know 
not  precisely  when  these  metals  first 
became  known  ;  but  at  the  time  now 
immediately  under  our  notice,  the  art 
of  metallurgy  had  certainly  attained 
considerable  perfection ;  various  per- 
sonal ornaments,  various  utensils,  and 
even  images,  of  gold  and  silver,  have 
already  been  often  mentioned  in  the 
sacred  text.  It  seems  to  our  minds 
that  a  large  mass  of  evidence  in  favor 
of  the  verity  of  the  Pentateuch  remains 
yet  untouched — the  evidence  resulting 
from  the  perfect  conformity  of  all  its 
allusions  to  the  state  of  the  arts  and 
the  materials  on  which  the  arts  operate, 
as  well  as  the  agreement  of  its  state- 
ments concerning  the  condition  of  men, 
with  the  natural  progress  of  men  and 
of  the  arts  they  cultivate,  and  with  the 
condition  of  things  at  the  most  early 
times  of  which  profane  history  exhibits 
7* 


any  knowledge.  Even  the  silence  of 
the  Pentateuch,  as  to  particulars  which 
a  later  writer  than  Moses  could  scarce* 
ly  have  failed  to  notice,  is  not  the  least 
valuable  of  the  internal  evidences  which 
tlie  book  bears  of  its  own  antiquity  and 
truth.'— Ptc?.  Bible. 

4.  Blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet. 
These  are  merely  the  names  of  certain 
colors,  while  no  mention  is  made  of  the 
thing  or  things  colored.  But  as  we  find 
from  the  apostle,  Heb.  9.  19,  that  scar- 
let wool  was  employed  in  the  sprinkling 
of  blood,  the  probability  is  that  wool  of 
those  colors  is  intended  which  was  af- 
terward fabricated  by  the  women  into 
the  curtains  of  the  Tabernacle  ;  for 
however  difficult  it  may  be  to  conceive 
that  they  should  have  had  in  the  wilder- 
ness tlie  implements  necessary  to  such 
a  process,  the  following  passage,  Ex. 
35.  26,  puts  it  beyond  a  doubt ;  'And 
all  the  women  whose  spirit  stirred  them 
up  in  wisdom  spun  goats'  hair.'  Thus 
the  Heb.  doctors  ;  'The  blue  spoken  of 
in  any  place  was  wool  dyed  like  the 
body  of  heaven  ;  the  scarlet,  wool  dyed 

in  scarlet,  &c.' IT  Blue.   Heb.  fl^^n 

tek'deth,  blue,  azure,  sky-color.  So 
Maimonides ;  '  This  color  is  like  the 
firmament.'  Thus  too  in  the  Gemara 
(Menach.  4.)  Rab.  Meyr  says,  'Where- 
in difiers  the  ttb'Dt^  tekeleth  from  the 
other  colors?  Answer,  because  the 
n^in  tekeleth  is  like  the  sea,  and  the 
sea  like  the  firmament,  and  the  firma- 
ment like  the  throne  of  glory,  as  it  is 
said,  Ex.24.  10,  'Under  his  feet  as  it 
were  sapphire  bricks  such  as  is  the  as- 
pect of  the  serene  heavens."  Gr.  iaKivBoi, 
hyacinth.  This  was  a  color  distinguish- 
ing llie  dress  of  princes  and  potentates 
among  the  ancients,  with  whom  the  art 
of  dyeing  was  carried  to  a  high  degree 
of  perfection.  The  splendor  and  mag- 
nificence of  dress  seem  to  have  consist- 
ed very  much  in  the  richness  of  colors, 
and  the  blue,  which  we  learn  from  many 
passages  of  the  Scriptures  to  have  been 
in  great  request,  was  imported  from  re- 


78 


EXODUS. 


fB.  C.  149 J. 


mote  countries  as  an  article  of  expen- 
sive and  elegant  luxury.  It  is  sup- 
posed by  some  to  have  been  the  pro- 
duct of  the  indigo,  a  plant  deriving  its 
origin,  as  it  doubtless  does  its  name, 
from  India,  where  its  beautiful  dyes 
have  long  given  value  to  the  fine  linens 

and  cottons  of  that  ancient  empire. 

IT  Purple.  Heb.  'jl^^li^  argaman,  rend- 
ered purple  by  all  the  ancient  versions. 
This  is  the  name  of  a  very  precious 
color  extracted  from  the  purpura,  or 
murex,  a  species  of  shell-fish,  called  in 
English  the  purple.  This  color,  the 
same  witli  the  famous  Tyrian  dye,  and 
the  most  celebrated  of  all  the  ancient 
dyes,  is  now  lost,  and  it  is  doubted  by 
many  whether  the  moderns  have  any 
thing  which  equals  it  in  richness  and 
briHlanc)^  It  is  known,  however,  that 
the  coloring  juice  of  the  purple  was 
contained  in  a  vessel  found  in  the  throat 
of  the  murex,  and  that  only  one  drop  of 
liquid  was  obtained  from  each.  A  sa- 
cred character  was  very  early  attached 
to  the  purple,  and  it  was  the  predomi- 
nant color  in  things  pertaining  to  the 
worship  of  God  among  heathen  nations. 
In  modern  times,  although  the  Tyrian 
purple  has  been  long  lost,  yet  the  pride  of 
the  name  is  still  preserved  in  the  sacer- 
dotal hierarchy.  It  was  also  an  attri- 
bute of  exalted  birth  and  of  dignities. 
It  served  as  a  decoration  to  the  first  ma- 
gistrates of  Rome,  and  finally  became 
a  symbol  of  the  inauguration  of  the 
emperors.  To  assume  the  '  imperial 
purple'  was  but  another  name  for  suc- 
ceeding to  the  throne,  and  the  punish- 
ment of  death  was  at  length  decreed 
against  any  of  inferior  grade  who  should 
presume  to  wear  the  royal  color.  To 
this  penalty  it  was  undoubted!}''  owing 
that  the  art  of  dyeing  purple  gradually 
disappeared  from  among  the  nations  of 
Europe.  From  the  epithet  'purple'  being 
applied  by  Homer  and  Virgil  to  blood,  it 
is  probable  that  this  color  anciently  ap- 
proached much  nearer  to  scarlet  than  tlie 
modern  purple.     Indeed  tlie  two,  in  the 


writings  of  the  ancients,  are  frequently 
confounded  together.  And  so  also  in  the 
New  Testament  we  find  them  inter 
changed,  as  Mark,  15.  17,  Hhey  clother' 
liim  with  purple,^  compared  with  Mat 
27.  28,  'they  put  on  him  a  scarlet  rohe? 
See  also  John,  19.  2.  'It  is  important, 
says  the  Editor  of  the  Pictorial  Bible 
'to  understand,  that  the  word  '  purpk 
in  ancient  writings  does  not  denote  on- 
particular  color.  Pliny  mentions  tlw 
difference  between  some  of  the  purples; 
one  was  faint,  approaching  to  our  scar- 
let, and  this  was  the  least  esteemed  ; 
another  was  very  deep  approacliing  to 
violet ;  and  a  third  was  of  a  color  com- 
pared to  coagulated  bullock's  blood. 
The  most  esteemed  Tyrian  purple  seems 
to  have  been  of  this  last  color.  We 
say  'the  most  esteemed,'  because  it  ap- 
pears that  even  the  Tyrian  purple  was 
not  one  particular  color,  but  a  class  oi 
animal  dyes,  as  distinguished  from 
vegetable,  varying  in  shade  from  the 
most  faint  to  the  most  intense.'  The 
purple  has  been  styled  the  most  sub- 
lime of  all  earthly  colors,  having  the 
gaudiness  of  the  red,  of  which  it  retains 
a  shade,  softened  with  thegravity  of  the 

blue. IT  Scarlet.    Heb.  13:15  nS-'^in 

tolaath  shani,  icorni  of  repetition.  This 
tincture  or  color  is  expressed  by  a  word 
which  signifies  '  worm-color,'  as  '  Ver- 
million,' comes  from  vermiculus,  a  lit' 
tie  worm,  from  its  being  produced  from 
a  worm  or  insect  which  grew  in  a  coc- 
cus, or  excrescence  of  a  shrub  of  the 
oak  kind.  This  shrub  is  sometimes 
called  the  'kermez-oak,'  from  'kermcz,' 
the  Arabic  word  both  for  the  worm  and 
the  color;  whence  the  Latin  '  carma- 
sinus,'  the  French  'cramoisi,'  and  the 
English  '  crimson.'  The  color  produced 
from  the  coccus  was  a  lively  bright  red, 
approaching  to  the  hue  of  fire.  In  the 
original  of  the  passage  before  us,  the 
Heb.  word  i",3'^in  tolaath,  for  the  uvrm 
I  or  coloring  matter,  is  connected  with 
I  '  Shoni,'  which  signifies  repeated  or 
!  double,   iirijilying    that    to   strike    this 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


79 


color  the  wool  or  cloth  was  twice  dip- 
ped ;  hence .  the  Vulgate  renders  the 
original  '  coccum  bis  tinctum,'  scarlet 
twice  dyed.  The  scarlet  also  was  an 
honorable  color,  being  that  of  the  Ro- 
man emperors  in  time  of  war,  while  the 
purple  was  the  raiment  of  peace.  Ac- 
cordingly in  the  book  of  Revelation  the 
scarlet  color,  being  that  of  blood,  is  a 
symbol  of  slaughter,  and  attributed  es- 
pecially to  the  woman  drunk  with  the 
blood  of  the  saints,  who  is  represented, 
Rev.  IS.  3,  riding  upon  a  beast  of  the 
same  color,  another  symbol  of  a  per- 
secuting and  sanguinary  power.  '  Pro- 
fessor Ty«;isen,  supposing  the  identi- 
ty of  the  Scripture  '  scarlet'  with  the 
kermen  established,  properly  concludes 
that  the  kermes  dye  was  known  before 
the  time  of  Moses  ; — that  the  dye  was 
known  to  the  Egyptians  in  the  time  of 
Moses ;  for  the  Israelites  must  have 
carried  it  along  with  them  from  Egypt  j 
— that  the  Arabs  received  the  name 
'  kermes,'  with  the  dye,  from  Armenia 
and  Persia,  where  it  v/as  indigenous, 
and  had  been  long  knov/n  ;  and  that 
name  banished  the  old  name  in  the  east, 
as  the  name  '  scarlet'  has  in  the  west. 
Kermes  signifies  always  7-ed  dye;  and 
when  pronounced  short  it  becomes  deep 
red.  Beckmann  thinks  that  in  later 
times  the  Tyrian  purples  were  super- 
seded by  the  improvements  of  this  dye  ; 
but  we  do  not  feel  satisfied  with  his 
authorities  for  this  conclusion.  The 
kermes  itself  has  now  long  been  super- 
seded by  the  American  cochineal,  which 
is  far  superior  to  any  pigment  employ- 
ed in  ancient  times  for  dyeing  reds.  In- 
deed we  have  perhaps  little  cause  to  re- 
gret the  loss  or  disuse  of  any  ancient 
dye,  particulary  in  bright  reds,  which 
owe  so  much  to  discoveries  of  chem- 
istry, that  we  have  every  reason  to  con- 
clude them  infinitely  superior  to  any 
which  ancient  art  could  produce.  Pliny 
complains  that  scarlet  dyes  could  not 
be  made  sufficiently  durable  and  adhe- 
B-ive :  and  the  statements  in  ancient  au- 


thors as  to  the  brilliancy  of  scarlet  may 
be  admitted  by  recollecting  that  they 
had  nothing  better  with  which  to  com 

pare  it.'    Pict.  Bible. IT  Fine  linen. 

Hcb.  tl^'U  shesh;  denoting  the  fabric 
made  from  the  plant  of  that  name  which 
grew  in  Egypt  and  Palestine,  and  which 
is  rendered  by  the  Gr.  and  Chal.  'Byss,' 
from  the  Heb.  ^"1^  butz.  It  was  either 
a  species  of  soft,  delicate,  and  downy 
cotton,  or  a  superior  kind  of  flax,  from 
which  garments  were  made  of  the  most 
pure  and  exquisite  white.  Moses  in- 
deed does  not  employ  the  term  'Butz' 
in  speaking  of  linen,  which  appears  in 
no  author  prior  to  the  age  of  the  books 
of  Esther  and  Chronicles,  but  the  words 
'Bad'  and  'Shesh,'  rendered  'Byssos,' 
linen,  by  the  Sept.  appear  to  have  been 
the  only  ones  in  use  in  his  day.  That 
which  is  of  most  importance  in  respect 
to  the  'Shesh'  or  'Byss,'  is  the  fact  here 
mentioned,  that  it  was  the  material  of 
which  the  priestly  garments  were  made 
which  we  are  told  were  designed  for 
'  glory  and  for  honor'  to  the  wearers. 
They  were  in  fact  the  garments  of  kings 
and  of  nobles.  In  Gen.  41.  42,  we  see 
that  Joseph  in  his  exaltation  was  cloth- 
ed in  one  of  them,  rendered  by  the  Gr. 
'  stole  of  byss.'  So  likewise  David  ap- 
peared in  a  similar  robe  on  a  day  of 
solemnity,  1  Chron.  15.  27.  In  short, 
the  byss  garments  were  the  most  re- 
splendent and  valuable  of  all  the  white 
apparel  in  use  among  the  Israelites. 
Our  Savior,  therefore,  in  the  parable  of 
the  rich  man  describes  him  as  clad  '  in 
purple  and^ne  linen,  Gr.  'byss.'  Again, 
when  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  de- 
sci-ibed  in  the  Apocalypse,  ch.  19.  8,  it 
is  said  of  the  bride,  that  '  it  was  grant- 
ed to  her  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in 
fine  linen  (byss)  clean  and  white  ;  for 
the  fine  linen  is  the  righteousness  of 
saints.'  From  what  we  have  already 
said  the  symbolical  import  of  this  will 
not  be  of  difficult  solution.  The  byss 
being  the  most  valuable  species  of  white 
garments,  constitutes  a  significamt  em- 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


5  And  fams'  skms  dyed  red,  and   badgers'  skins,  and  shittim-wood, 


blem  of  the  highest  and  most  'perfect 
holiness.  The  resurrection  is  the  state 
of  perfect  holiness  ;  the  byss,  therefore, 
is  the  attribute  of  the  saints  in  a  state 
of  resurrection.  In  like  manner  we  sup- 
pose the  '  man  clothed  in  linen,'  so  fre- 
quently mentioned  by  Ezekiel,  ch.  9. 
and  10,  to  be  a  symbolical  designation 
of  Christ  in  his  post-resurrection  state, 
in  which  state  we  know  he  is  for  the 
most   part  represented  as  clothed    in 

white  raiment. IT  Goafs  hair.    Heb. 

'U'^W  izzim.  That  is,  the  down  or  finest 
part  of  the  hair ;  of  which  much  finer 
cloth  was  made  in  those  countries  than 
of  the  wool  of  the  lamb  or  the  sheep. 
The  hair  of  the  eastern  goats,  particu- 
larly of  the  Angola  species,  is  of  the 
most  delicate  and  silky  softness,  and 
wrought  into  the  kind  of  cloth  known 
by  the  name  of  camlets.  The  word 
'  hair'  does  not  occur  in  the  Hebrew, 
but  the  sense  evidently  requires  its  in- 
sertion. 

5.  Rams^  skins  dyed  red.  Heb.  ni5 
t'^?2lS^^  Xi^i<  oroth  ilim  meoddamim, 
skins  of  red  rams.  That  is,  either  those 
which  were  naturally  of  this  color,  for 
such  are  found  in  the  Levant,  or  those 
which  were  made  so  by  dyeing,  and 
thus  converted  to  a  kind  of  red  moroc- 
co.  IT    Badgers^  skins.     Heb.  n^5> 

D'^irnn  oroth  tehashin.  It  is  very  un- 
certain what  is  intended  by  the  orig- 
inal word  irnn  tahash  here  rendered 
'  badger.'  The  ancient  versions  for  the 
most  part  evidently  consider  it  as  de- 
signating some  kind  of  color,  either 
purple  or  violet.  But  as  it  appears 
from  Ezek.  16. 10,  that  it  denotes  a  sub- 
stance from  which  shoes  were  made,  it 
is  probably  safer  to  consider  it  as  the 
appellation  of  some  of  the  animal  tribes 
whose  skins  would  serve  for  a  rough 
exterior  covering  of  the  Tabernacle  to 
protect  the  more  delicate  work  of  the 
inner  curtains  from  injury  by  the  weath- 
er.   Yet  that   it  could  not  have  been 


the  animal  now  called  '  badger,'  there 
is  the  strongest  reason  to  believe.  The 
badger  is  an  inhabitant  of  cold  conn- 
tries,  nor  can  any  evidence  be  adduced 
that  it  ever  existed  in  Palestine,  Arabia, 
or  Egypt.  Whence  then  could  the  Is- 
raelites have  procured  its  skin  to  cover 
the  Tabernacle,  especially  in  such  quan- 
tities as  would  be  requisite  ?  It  is  by 
no  means  a  prolific  animal,  and  in  the 
countries  in  which  it  breeds,  as  in  Eng- 
land, it  is  comparatively  rare.  More- 
over, as  it  is  pronounced  unclean  by  the 
Mosaic  law,  it  would  scarcely  have 
been  employed  for  such  a  sacred  pur- 
pose. But  if  it  were  an  animal  at  all, 
of  what  species  v/as  it?  Aben  Ezra 
thinks,  from  the  force  of  the  term,  that  it 
was  some  animal  which  was  thick  and 
fat,  and  'in  this  sense  the  word  appears 
to  be  the  same  as  the  Arabic  dasash, 
fat,  oily.  The  conjecture,  then,  of  those 
who  refer  the  tahash  to  the  seal,  is 
every  way  credible  ;  as  in  our  own  island 
the  seal  is  famous  for  its  fat  or  oil, 
which,  in  default  of  whale  oil,  is  used 
for  similar  purposes.  Moreover,  seal- 
skins, on  account  of  their  durability, 
are  used  to  cover  trunks  and  boxes,  to  de- 
fend them  from  the  weather;  and  as  the 
skin  of  the  tahash  was  used  for  making 
shoes,  (Ezek.  16. 10.),  so  the  skin  of  the 
seal  may  be,  and  is,  tanned  into  as  good 
leather  as  calf-skin  itself.  It  rgmains, 
then,  to  be  proved  that  an  animal,  fit  for 
the  purpose,  was  readily  procurable  by 
the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  ;  for  this 
we  quote  Thevenot  (p.  166.),  who,  be- 
ing at  Tor,  a  port  on  the  Red  Sea,  says, 
'But  they  could  not  furnish  me  with  any 
thing  of  a  certain  fish,  which  they  call 
a  sea-man.  However,  I  got  the  hand  of 
one  since.  This  fish  is  taken  in  the 
Red  Sea,  about  little  isles,  that  are 
close  by  Tor.  It  is  a  great,  strong  fish, 
and  hath  nothing  extraordinary  but  two 
hands,  which  are  indeed  like  the  hands 
!  of  a  man,  saving  that  the  fingers  arc 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


81 


6  i»  Oil  for  the  light,  c  spices  for 
anointing-  oil,  and  for  ^  sweet  in- 
cense. 

b  ch.  27.  20.     c  ch.  30.  23.     d  cli.  30.  31. 


joined  together  with  a  skin  like  the  foot 
of  a  goose  ;  but  the  skin  of  the  fish  is 
like  the  skin  of  a  wild  goat,  or  chamois. 
When  they  spy  that  fish,  they  strike  him 
on  the  back  with  harping  irons,  as  they 
do  whales,  and  so  kill  him.  They  use 
the  skin  of  it  for  making  bucklers,  which 
are  musket  proofs  Whether  this  be  a 
species  of  seal  must  be  left  undetermin- 
ed ;  as  nothing  is  said  of  its  coming 
ashore,  or  being  amphibious  ;  neverthe- 
less, it  may  be  the  tahash  of  the  He- 
brews. Niebuhr  says  (p.  157,  Fr.  edit.), 
'A  merchant  of  Abushahr  called  dahash 
that  fish  which  the  captains  of  English 
vessels  called  porpoise,  and  the  Ger- 
mans sea-hog,  or  dolphin.  In  my  voyage 
from  Maskat  to  Abushahr,  I  saw  a  pro- 
digious quantity  together,  near  Ras 
Mussendom,  who  all  were  going  the 
same  way,  and  seemed  to  sv/im  with 
great  vehemence.'  Gesenius  adopts  the 
same  opinion,  on  account  of  the  simi- 
larity of  the  Arabic  name  dahash,  which 
means,  properly,  the  dolphin,  but  is  al- 
so applied  to  the  seal  genus.  On  many 
of  the  small  islands  of  the  Red  Sea, 
around  the  peninsula  of  Sinai,  are  found 
seals  ;  (hence  insula  phocarum,  Strab. 
16.  p.  766.)  likewise,  a  species  of  sea- 
cow,  called  also  sea-man  or  sea-camel, 
the  skin  of  which  is  an  inch  thick,  and 
is  used  by  the  Arabs  of  the  present  day 
for  shoe-leather.  Burckhardt  remarks 
that  he  '  saw  parts  of  the  skin  of  a  large 
fish,  killed  on  the  coast,  which  was  an 
inch  in  thickness,  and  is  employed  by 
the  Arabs  instead  of  leather  for  san- 
dals.'    Robinson^s  Calmet. IT  Shit- 

tim-wood.  Heb.  tl'^ti^:  '^2:5'  atzii  shit- 
tim,  wood  of  the  shittah  tree,  mentioned 
Is.  41. 19.  It  is  rendered  by  the  Gr.  ^i,.\a 
acrrjrrra,  incorruptible  wood.  Though  not 
certainly  known,  it  is  supposed,  with 
great  probability,  to  be  the  acacia,  or 


7  Onyx-stones,  and  stones  to  be 
set  in  the  e  ephod,  and  in  the 
f  breast-plate. 

ech.  23.4,0.     fch.  28. 15. 

species  of  thorn  that  still  grows  in  great 
abundance  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia  ;  the 
wood  of  which,  according  to  Jerome, 
is  extremely  light,  solid,  strong,  and 
smooth  ;  qualities  rarely  found  together 
in  any  one  wood.  The  tree  is  of  the 
i  size  of  a  large  mulberry-tree,  large 
enough,  says  the  father  above  mention- 
ed, to  furnish  very  long  planks.  '  The 
Acacia-tree,'  says  Dr.  Shaw,  '  being  by 
much  the  largest  and  most  common  tree 
in  these  deserts  (Arabia  Petrea),  we 
have  some  reason  to  conjecture  that  the 
shittim-wood  was  the  acacia.' 

6.  Oil  for  the  light.  For  the  lamp 
that  was  to  burn  continually  in  the 
sanctuary.  This  it  appears,  from  Ex. 
27.  20,  was  to  be  'pure  olive  oil  beaten.' 

IT  Spices.    Heb.  tD'^?2t:3^  besamim. 

Gr.  Oi'iJiiajtaTa,  incenses.  The  term  in- 
cludes all  the  odoriferous  ingredients 
which  were  employed  in  the  compo- 
sition  of  the  'anointing  oil'  or  the  oint. 
ment  by  which  the  altar  of  incense  and 
all  the  vessels  of  the  ark  were  hallow- 
ed, and  lastly,  in  the  incense  which  was 

burnt  upon  the  altar. IT  For  sweet 

incense.  Heb.  G'l^DDn  tl^t:pb  Hkto- 
rcth  hassammim,  for  the  burning  oj 
sweet  odors;  i.  e.  upon  the  golden  altar 
that  stood  in  the  holy  place.  Comp 
Ex.  30.  22—28. 

7.  Onyx  stones.  Heb.  tri'iJ  'i^SS^  abn'e 
shoham,  stones  of  shoham.  See  Note 
on  Gen.  2.  12.  It  is  acknowledged  that 
there  is  great  difficulty  in  ascertaining 
what  stone  is  meant  by  the  'shoham.' 
The  Gr.  translates  the  word  in  different 
places  by  no  less  than  six  different 
terms.  In  the  three  Chaldee  Targums, 
as  also  in  the  Syriac,  Arabic,  Persic, 
and  Ethiopic  versions,  it  is  rendered  by 
'beryl,'  which  Ainsworth  adopts  in  his 
Annotations.  As  it  was  one  of  the 
jewels  in  the  breastplate,  and  as  two 


82 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


8  And  let  them  make  me  a  g  sane-  {  tuary ;  that  h  J  may  dwell  among 

them. 


rch.  36.  1,  3,4.  Lev.  4.  6.  &  10.4.  &  21.  12. 
Hebr.  9.  1,  2. 

of  them  were  borne  on  the  High  Priest's 
shoulders,  each  containing  the  names 
of  six  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  it 
must  have  been  a  stone  of  very  con- 
siderable size.  On  this  account  it  is 
less  likely  to  have  been  the  onyx  which 
is  a  very  small  stone.  There  were 
several  kinds  of  '  beryls,'  the  most  ap- 
proved of  which  were  of  a  sea-green 
color,  though  Pliny  describes  one  as 
inclining  to  a  hyacinthine  or  azure 
color.    But  of  the  '  beryl'  see  Note  on 

Ex.  2S.  9,  20. ^  Stones  to  he  set. 

Heb.  ti^ii^IO  ^^'2'i?t,abnimillu'im,  stones 
of  fillings;  i.  e.  stones  to  be  set  in,  or, 
as  artists  say,  enchased  in  the  cavities 
of  gold  of  tlie  ephod.  For  a  description 
of  the  Ephod  and  Breastplate,  see  on 
Ex.  28.  4,  and  15. 

S.  Let  them  make  me  a  sanctuary. 
Pleb.  1U"p;'3  mikdash,  a  holy  place;  from 
IDIp  kadash,  to  sanctify,  to  hallaiv. 
The  term  denotes  a  holy  habitation  ex- 
pressly consecrated  to  the  residence  of 
the  visible  divine  majesty  in  the  midst 

of  them. H  That  I  may  dwell  among 

them.  Heb.  ^iTJ^IijI  veshakanti,  and  I 
tvill  dwell.  Gr.  o(ljOriaoi(ai  ev  vfxiv,  I  will 
be  seen  among  you.  Chal.  'I  will  make 
my  Glory  to  dwell  in  the  midst  of  them.' 
Arab.  'That  I  may  make  m.y  Splendor 
to  inhabit  among  them.'  The  import 
plainly  is,  that  God  would  dwell  among 
them  by  the  signal  manifestations  of 
his  glory  in  the  Shekinah,  the  visible 
token  of  his  presence.  The  original 
word  ^n3!D!Z3  shakanti  comes  from  ^"^ 
shakan,  to  dwell  in  a  tent  or  tabernacle, 
and  from  the  same  root  comes  both 
n3"'lDtD  shekinah,  and  the  Gr.  ckyivow, 
to  tabernacle,  from  which  latter  is  the 
derivative  cktivy}^  a  tent  or  tabernacle. 
The  radical  consonants  (sh)s,  k,  n,  are 
the  same  in  both  languages,  to  which 
the  vowels  are  mere  factitious  append- 


1'  ch.  29.  45.     1  Kings  6.  13.    2  Cor.  6.  It>. 
Hebr.  3.  0.     Rev.  21.  3. 


ages.  In  express  allusion  therefore  to 
the  mode  of  the  divine  residence  among 
the  Israelites,  it  is  said  of  Christ,  John 
1.  14,  '  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  (eaKrjuuac  tabernacled  or  shekin- 
ized)  among  us,  and  we  beheld  his  glo- 
ry;' i.  e.  at  the  transfiguration,  when  the 
cloud  or  vail  of  his  flesh,  by  being  tem- 
porarily rent  asunder,  disclosed  the  true 
inner  glory  of  his  Godhead,  answering 
to  the  luminous  cloud  of  the  Shekinah, 
which  is  in  numerous  instances  called 
6i)^a,  glory.  In  like  manner,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  sensible  mode  in  which  God 
manifested  himself  to  his  peculiar  peo- 
ple. Christ  is  said  to  be  the  'brightness 
of  the  Father's  glory,'  Heb.  1.  3,  lan- 
guage which  goes  to  identify  the  person 
of  the  Son  with  the  glorious  apparition 
of  the  Shekinali.  The  term  again  oc- 
curs in  evident  allusion  to  these  words 
of  Moses,  Rev.  21.  3,  'And  I  heard  a 
great  voice  out  of  heaven  saying,  Be- 
hold, the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men, 
and  he  will  dwell  ivith  them.'  This  is 
the  fulfilment  of  the  prediction  uttered 
by  Ezekiel  37.  26,  27,  'And  I  will  set 
my  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of  them  for 
evermore  ;  my  tabernacle  also  shall  be 
with  them  ;  yea,  I  will  be  their  God, 
and  they  shall  be  my  people,'  announc- 
ing a  period  yet  future  when  this  earth 
shall  again  be  distinguished  by  some 
visible  manifestation  of  the  divine  pres- 
ence under  circumstances  of  far  more 
glory  than  those  in  which  he  appeared 
of  old  to  the  chosen  people,  and  answer- 
ing the  same  purpose  in  respect  to  the 
whole  human  race  which  the  Shekinah 
of  the  Tabernacle  did  in  respect  to  a 
single  nation.  It  is  the  period,  as  we 
have  elsewhere  remarked,  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  of  which  the  same  prophet 
says,  Ezek.  4S.  35,  'The  name  of  the 
city  from  that  day  shall  be,  The  Lord 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


83 


9  i  According  to  all  liiat  I  shew  [  ernacle,   and    the   pattern    of   all 
thee,  after  the  pattern  of  the  tab-    the  instruments  thereof,  even   so 

shall  ve  make  it. 


ver.  40. 


is  there  (n'C'J  mn"  Yehovah  sham- 
mah).^  But  'the  Lord'  (Jehovah)  is 
the  Siiekiuah,  and  the  Shekinah  is  the. 
Logos  and  the  Lamb  who  is  to  be  the 
Light  and  Glory  of  the  heaven-descend- 
ed city,  and  the  intimation  is  clear  that 
this  manifested  presence  of  the  Deity 
is  there  to  form  so  prominent  and  con- 
spicuous an  object,  that  the  city  itself 
is  to  receive  from  it  its  characteristic 
denomination.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
not  to  be  forgotten  that  it  will  be  a 
residence  'among  men,'  men  inhabiting 
this  terraqueous  globe ;  for  there  is  no 
greater  mistake  than  to  interpret  the 
sublime  representations  of  the  latter 
part  of  the  Apocalypse  of  an  extra- 
mundane  state  of  glory,  having  no  rela- 
tion to  the  present  condition  of  man,  or 
to  the  original  scene  of  his  existence. 
Time  and  the  Providence  of  God  will 
doubtless  work  a  great  change  in  the 
views  of  believers  in  reference  to  the 
genuine  scope  of  the  visions  contained 
in  this  wonderful  book,  a  portion  of 
revelation  which  unfortunately  has  fall- 
en into  a  disesteem  never  enough  to  be 
deplored. 

9.  According  to  all  that  I  shew.  Heb. 
']m&^  nK"l?3  "^-t^  ^rj*  b--)  kekol  asher 
ani  mareh  otheka,  according  to  all  that 
I  make  thee  to  sec.  We  have  before  re- 
marked, Ex.  24.  10, 11,  that  we  suppose 
the  pattern  of  the  Tabernacle  and  its 
furniture,  but  more  especially  the  Ark, 
the  Cherubim  and  the  Glory,  to  have 
been  shown  to  Moses  in  the  presence  of 
Aaron  and  his  sons  and  the  seventy  el- 
ders, and  the  phraseology  of  the  present 
passage  does  not  militate  with  this 
idea.  The  designation  of  time  by  the 
Hebrew  verbs  and  participles  is  very 
indefinite,  and  in  this  instance  the  usus 
loquendi  will  admit  of  the  showing  be- 
ing understood  of  the  past  as  well  as 
the  present.    The  whole  time  of  Mo- 


ses' sojourn  on  the  mount,  after  leaving 
the  camp  with  his  companions,  seems 
to  be  spoken  of  as  one  continuous  term, 
not  requiring  to  have  its  periods  accu- 
rately distinguished. IT  After  the 

pattern  of  the  tabernacle.  Heb,  tT'DjlT! 
'I^'l'/O  tabnith  mishkan.  We  have  in 
Tp^JiJ^  mishkan  another  derivative  from 
the  root  "^'^j  shakan,  rightly  rendered 
tabernacle.  The  other  term  rT^Dntl  tab- 
nith, comes  from  nDlI  banah,  to  build, 
and  properly  signifies  in  this  connexion 
a  model,  a  prototype,  an  exemplar,  im- 
plying something  sensible,  corporeal, 
or  substantial  in  contradistinction  from 
rill'^l  demuth,  a  likeness,  which  is  ap- 
plied rather  in  the  general  sense  o{  rep- 
resentation, picture,  or  image,  than 
of^  a  framed  model  of  any  kind  of  struc- 
ture. The  distinction  is  very  clearly 
indicated  in  2  Kings,  16.  10,  'And  king 
Ahaz  went  to  Damascus  to  meet  Tig- 
lath-pileser,  king  of  Assyria,  and  saw 
an  altar  that  was  at  Damascus  :  and 
king  Ahaz  sent  to  Urijah  the  priest  the 
fashion  (t^M21  demuth)  of  the  altar, 
axidi  the  pattern  (tl^DIin  tabnith)  of  it, 
according  to  all  the  workmanship  there- 
of;' where  n*^3ntl  undoubtedly  signifies 
a  model,  and  m)3T  some  other  kind  of 
representation,  either  verbal  or  picto- 
rial. In  like  manner  we  find  a  striking 
parallel,  not  only  to  the  phrase,  but  to 
the  general  fact  here  recorded,  in  the 
history  of  the  building  of  the  Temple, 
1  Chron.  28.  11,  12,  '  Then  David  gave 
to  Solomon  his  son  the  pattern  (D'^^jtl) 
of  the  porch,  and  of  the  houses  thereof, 
and  of  the  treasures  thereof,  and  of  the 
upper  chambers  thereof,  and  of  the  in- 
ner parlors  thereof,  and  of  the  place  of 
the  mercy-seat,  and  the  pattern  (rT^DDtl) 
of  all  he  had  by  the  Spirit,  of  the  courts 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  of  all  the 
chambers  round  about,  of  the  treasuries 
of  the  house  of  God,  and  of  the  treasn- 


84 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


nes  of  the  dedicated  things.'  David, 
it  seems,  was  furnished  by  divine  in- 
spiration with  a  visionary  archetype  of 
the  Temple  which  he  would  liave  Solo- 
mon build  to  the  Lord,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  this  vision  lie  procured  a  pat- 
ter?i  or  model  to  be  executed,  which 
should  answer  the  purpose  of  guiding 
his  son  in  the  construction  of  the  sacred 
edifice.  In  the  present  instance,  we 
do  not  indeed  imagine  that  there  was 
any  miniature  model  in  wood  or  stone 
of  the  Tabernacle  made  by  Omnipo- 
tence and  shown  to  Moses ;  but  we  do 
Suppose  that  the  supernatural  spectacle 
presented  to  his  view  was  so  ordered  as 
to  convey  to  his  mind  all  the  impression 
which  would  have  been  produced  by  an 
actual  objective  presentation  of  the 
scenery  to  his  outward  senses  in  the 
form  of  substantial  realities.  On  this 
strong,  clear,  and  vivid  impression  of 
the  objects  seen,  we  suppose  the  use  of 
the  term  model  or  patter 71  was  founded. 
The  vision  was  to  him  in  the  place  of  a 
pattern. 

It  may  not  be  inapposite  in  this  con- 
nexion to  dwell  somewhat  upon  the  fact 
of  the  remarkable,  and  we  doubt  not 
designed,  inter-relation  between  the 
general  plan  of  the  Tabernacle  in  its 
different  parts,  and  the  ideas  usually 
entertained  among  the  ancient  Hebrews 
of  the  structure  of  the  heavens.  How- 
ever it  may  be  accounted  for,  we  think 
the  position  is  unquestionable,  that  the 
Scriptures,  in  their  peculiar  phrase- 
ology, do  recognise  a  singular  corres- 
pondence between  at  least  the  inner 
sanctuary,  the  holy  of  holies,  both  in 
the  Tabernacle  and  Temple,  and  the 
supernal  regions  called  heaven  or  the 
heavens,  considered  especially  as  the 
residence  of  God,  where  he  sat  upon 
the  throne  of  his  glory,  surrounded  by 
the  angelic  hosts.  Indeed  Gussetius,  an 
eminent  Hebrew  Lexicographer,  con- 
tends that  all  the  '  pattern'  shown  to 
Moses  on  this  occasion  was  the  heavens 
themaelvet.    This  is  perhaps  too  vague 


an  explanation  to  meet  the  demands  of 
a  rigid  exegesis,  but  that  there  Avas  a 
remarkable  symbolical  affinity,  running 
occasionally  into  absolute  identity,  in 
the  ideas  of  heaven  and  the  holy  of 
holies,  may  doubtless  be  shown  beyond 
dispute.  Such  a  fact,  if  it  can  be  made 
to  appear,  will  be  of  great  importance 
in  giving  distinctness  to  our  conceptions 
of  the  mystic  scenery  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, wliich  may  be  said  to  be  almost 
entirely  made  up  of  elements  furnished 
by  the  Tabernacle  and  Temple  ritual.  It 
will  also  go  far  to  account  for  the  alle- 
gorising expositions  of  Josephus  and 
Philo,  who  evidently  confounded  the 
symbolical  with  the  philosophical  im- 
port of  these  sacred  ordinances.  Of 
these  writers,  the  latter  says  expressly 
when  speaking  of  the  Tabernacle,  that 
'  as  for  the  inside,  Moses  parted  iti* 
length  into  three  partitions.  At  the 
distance  of  ten  cubits  from  the  most 
secret  end,  he  placed  four  pillars,  each 
a  small  matter  distant  from  his  fellow. 
Now  the  room  within  these  pillars  was 
The  Most  Holy  Place  ;  but  the  rest  of 
the  room  was  the  Tabernacle,  which 
was  open  for  the  priests.  However  this 
proportion  of  the  measures  of  the  Tab- 
ernacle proved  to  be  an  imitation  of  the 
system  of  the  world;  for  that  third 
part  thereof  which  was  within  the  four 
pillars,  to  which  the  (common)  priests 
were  not  admitted,  is,  as  it  were,  an 
heaven  peculiar  to  God;  but  the  space 
of  the  twenty  cubits,  is,  as  it  were,  sea 
and  land,  on  which  men  live,  and  so 
this  part  is  peculiar  to  the  priests  only.' 
Again,  in  accordance  with  this  idea,  he 
says  of  the  Candlestick,  that  'it  termi- 
nated in  seven  heads,  in  one  row,  all 
standing  parallel  to  one  another  ;  and 
these  branches  carried  seven  lamps,  one 
by  one,  in  imitation  of  the  number  of 
the  planets.'  In  another  passage,  where 
he  feels  himself  called  upon  to  vindi. 
cate  the  wisdom  of  the  Mosaic  institu- 
tions, he  remarks,  'Now  here  one  may 
wonder  at  the  ill-will  which  men  bear 


B.  C.  1401.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


85 


to  us,  and  which  they  profess  to  be  on 
account  of  our  despising  that  deity 
which  they  pretend  to  honor  ;  for  if  any 
one  do  but  consider  the  fabric  of  the 
Tabernacle,  and  take  a  view  of  the  gar- 
ments of  the  high  priest,  and  of  those 
vessels  which  we  make  use  of  in  our 
sacred  ministration,  he  will  find  that 
our  legislator  was  a  divine  man,  and 
that  we  are  unjustly  reproached  by 
others  ;  for  if  any  one  do  without  preju- 
dice, and  with  judgment  look  upon 
these  things,  he  will  find  they  were 
every  one  made  in  way  of  imitation  and 
representation  of  the  universe.  When 
Moses  distinguished  the  Tabernacle 
into  three  parts,  and  allowed  two  of 
them  to  the  priests,  as  a  place  acces- 
sible and  common,  he  denoted  the  land 
and  the  sea,  they  being  of  general  ac- 
cess to  all ;  but  he  set  apart  the  third 
division  for  God,  because  heaven  is  in- 
accessible to  men.'' 

In  what  manner  these  astronomical 
ideas  became  grafted  upon  the  peculiar 
fabric  we  are  now  considering,  would 
no  doubt  be  a  difficult  problem  to  solve, 
were  it  not  for  the  clue  aiforded  us  in 
the  scriptural  diction  which  we  are  now 
about  to  lay  before  the  reader.  From 
this  it  will  appear  that  it  originated  in 
a  perversion  or  distortion  of  the  dim  in- 
timations which  were  then  enjoyed  of 
the  true  symbolical  import  of  these  sa- 
cred institutions.  And  no  doubt  a  large 
portion  of  the  ancient  mythological  fic- 
tions could  be  traced  by  a  rigid  inqui- 
sition to  the  same  source.  They  are 
the  distorted  relics  of  an  early  revela- 
tion abounding  in  types  and  symbols. 

We  have  said  that  our  present  en- 
quiry derives  importance  from  its  fur- 
nishing a  key  to  the  mystic  scenery  of 
the  Apocalypse.  Let  us  then  take  our 
starting  point  from  this  wonderful  book, 
and  if  we  should  be  led  into  somewhat 
of  an  extended  array  of  the  prophetic 
usus  loquendi,  we  may  still  hope  to  find 
the  result  richly  rewarding  the  time  and 
toil  of  the  investigation. 

Vol.  II.  8 


Probably  few  readers  of  the  Revela- 
tion have  failed  to  be  struck  with  the 
fact,  that  while  the  scene  of  the  vision 
is  apparently  laid  in  heaven  (rather 
^  the  heaven' — zv  ro  ovpavo^),  yet  the 
presence  of  many  of  the  appurtenances 
of  the  Tabernacle  or  Temple  is  con- 
stantly recognised.  Thus  in  ch.  4.  1, 
2,  John  says,  'After  this  I  looked,  and 
behold  a  door  was  opened  in  heaven — 
and  immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit; 
and  behold  a  throne  was  set  in  heaven, 
and  one  sat  on  the  throne.'  Now  as  he 
goes  on  to  describe  a  '  sea  of  glass'  an- 
swerable to  the  *  brazen  sea'  which 
stood  before  the  sanctuary;  the  'four  liv- 
ing creatures'  identical  with  the  '  cheru- 
bims'  that  spread  their  wings  over  the 
mercy-seat ;  and  '  seven  lamps  of  fire 
burning  before  the  throne,'  correspond- 
ing with  the  seven  lamps  of  the  candle- 
stick placed  before  the  vail  in  the  holy 
place  ;  how  can  we  resist  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  '  heaven'  of  which  he 
speaks  is  really  nothing  else  than  the 
holy  of  holies,  and  that  the  throne  is 
the  mercy-seat  on  which  the  Shekinah, 
the  visible  Glory,  rested?  This  is  con- 
firmed by  the  annexed  circumstance  of 
seeing  a  door,  or  rather  a  door-way,  an 
entrance  (Ovon),  which  had  been  previ- 
ously opened  {avi.('yyiievri),  and  through 
which  he  was  enabled  to  see  the  throne 
and  its  occupant.  Now  where  a  door- 
way is  mentioned,  the  idea  of  an  apart- 
ment or  apartments  naturally  suggests 
itself  to  the  mind,  and  if  John  saw  the 
throne  through  the  opened  entrance,  he 
must  have  been  in  one  apartment,  and 
the  throne  in  another,  as  otherwise  it  is 
impossible  to  discover  a  reason  for  the 
mention  of  the  door-way  at  all  in  this 
connexion.  All  this  accords  perfectly 
with  the  local  arrangements  of  the 
Tabernacle  and  Temple,  which  consist- 
ed of  two  apartments,  commonly  sepa- 
ated  by  the  vail  of  partition.  In  the 
outer  apartment,  cr  holy  place,  stood 
the  seven-branched  candlestick,  and 
throughout  the  three  first  chapters  the 


86 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


scene  of  John's  vision  is  confined  alto- 
gether to  this  first  or  outer  room,  where 
he  beholds  Christ  in  his  priestly  dress  j 
engaged  about  the  lights  of  the  larnj), 
which  in  the  language  of  symbols  are 
said  to  be  seven  stars  that  he  holds  in 
his  right  hand.  Up  to  this  time  John 
had  not  seen  the  mercy-seat ;  the  vail 
therefore  was  then  in  its  place,  and  the 
Ocpa  or  entrance-way  Vv'as  closed.  But 
now  a  fresh  illapse  of  tlie  Spirit  comes 
upon  him,  the  vail  is  removed,  and  his 
entranced  eye  looks  into  the  inner  hal- 
lowed shrine  of  the  sanctuary. 

If  then  the  scene  of  this  vision  was 
the  earthly  sanctuary^  and  not  heaven 
above,  as  has  been  generally  imagined, 
why  does  he  call  it  'the  heaven?'  To 
this  we  answer,  because  it  is  so  called 
in  the  Old  Testament,  and  because  it 
was  intended  as  a  type  or  adumbration 
of  the  true  heaven,  the  place  of  final 
happiness  and  glory  of  the  saints.  As 
this  is  a  fact  of  some  importance  and 
one  that  goes  to  correct  the  interpre- 
tation of  many  passages  in  which  the 
word  *  heaven'  occurs,  a  strict  examina- 
tion of  the  Old  Testament  usage  in  re- 
gard to  this  word  will  be  necessary. 
And  first  it  is  clear  that  the  mercy-seat 
is  called  God's  seat;  and  the  sanctuary 
which  contained  the  mercy-seat  God's 
dwelling  or  sitting-place.  Respecting 
this  seat  or  throne,  God  says  to  Moses, 
Ex.  25.  22,  'There  will  I  meet  with 
thee,  and  commune  {"^ti'^OH  dibbarti) 
with  thee  from  above  the  mercy-seat, 
and  from  between  the  two  cherubims 
which  are  upon  the  ark  of  the  testi- 
mony,' &c.  The  place  of  the  mercy- 
seat  being  intended  for  oral  communi- 
cation, it  receives  a  name  answerable 
to  this  in  1  Kings,  6  and  8,  and  in  2 
Chron.  5,  where  it  is  called  'T^Dl  de- 
hir,  word-place,  speaking-place,  oracle, 
which  term  in  1  Kings,  S.  6,  is  plainly 
put  in  apposition  with  tD'^IUnpn  IDIp 
kodesh  hakkodoshim,  the  holy  of  holies, 
the  name  given  to  the  inner  apartment  of 
the  sanctuary ;  'And  the  priests  brought 


in  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord 
unto  his  place,  into  the  oracle  {^^'21)  of 
the  house,  to  the  most  holy  place  (!2j")p 
f'lUlpil)  even  under  the  wings  of  the 
cherubims.'  In  the  dedication  of  the 
temple  by  Solomon  the  phraseology  in 
different  passages  is  to  be  especially 
noticed.  Thus  in  1  Kings,  8.  13,  he 
says,  'I  have  surely  built  tliee  a  house 
to  dwell  in,  a  settled  place  ('|l!D?2  me- 
kon,  lit.  a  prepared  j^lace)  for  thee  to 
abide  in  for  ever.'  Here  it  is  to  be 
observed  that  Solomon  calls  the  house 
which  he  had  built  the  ^^'DTZ  mekon  or 
prepared  place,  putting  these  terms  in 
apposition  ;  and  consequently  leaving  us 
to  infer  that  whatever  other  terms  may 
in  the  context  be  found  put  in  apposi- 
tion with  either  of  these,  they  are  to 
have  a  similar  application.  With  this 
remark  premised  let  the  phraseology  in 
the  sequel  of  the  chapter  be  observed. 
Inv.  30,  it  is  said,  'Hearken  thou  to  the 
supplication  of  thy  servants,  and  of  thy 
people  Israel,  when  they  shall  pray  to- 
ward this  place :  and  hear  thou  in 
heaven  thy  dwelling-place:  (C1p/0  ^)k. 
tD'^^jIL'n  b^  "^nniD  el  mekom  shibteka  el 
hash-shamay im ,  in  thy  sitting-place,  or 
dwelling-place,  even  in  the  heaven):  and 
when  thou  hearest  forgive.'  With  this 
compare  v.  39,  '  Then  hear  thou  in 
heaven  thy  dwelling-place  (^fQID  ^^12 
mekon  shibteka,  the  prepared  place  of 
thy  sitting,  or  dwelling),  and  forgive,' 
&c.  Here  there  is  a  change  of  terms  in 
the  original  which  is  lost  sight  of  in  our 
version,  but  which  is  quite  important  in 
making  out  the  point  before  us.  In  the 
one  case  we  have  'irOoJ  t]1p)2  mekom. 
shibteka,  the  place  of  thy  dwelling;  in 
the  other  'llnlQ'lU  ']']'DJ2  mekon  shibtekaf 
the  prepared  place  of  thy  dwelling.  But 
it  is  clear  from  the  comparison  thus 
made  in  the  Hebrew  text,  that  the  terms 
'  heaven,'  '  house,'  and  '  prepared  place' 
are  used  as  equivalents.  But  Solomon 
says,  v,  13,  that  he  had  btiilt  the  'X]'Zil2 
mekon  or  prepared  place;  consequently 
he  had  built  the  heaven  in  which  God  is 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


87 


here  said  to  dwell.  It  is  true  indeed 
that  in  other  texts  in  this  chapter  '  hea- 
ven' is  clearly  employed  in  the  sense 
of  the  upper  regions  of  ether,  or  the  ce- 
lestial firmament,  as  it  is  ordinarily  un- 
derstood. Thus  V.  23,  'And  he  said, 
Lord  God  of  Israel,  there  is  no  God 
like  thee  in  heaven  above,  or  on  earth 
beneath.'  So  also  v.  27,  'But  will  God 
indeed  dwell  on  the  earth?  behold  the 
heaven  and  heaven  of  heavens  cannot 
contain  thee  ;  how  much  less  this  house 
that  I  have  builded  ?'  But  while  this 
is  admitted,  it  is  impossible  to  resist 
the  evidence  that  prepared  place  and 
heaven  are  synonimous  terms  in  this 
connexion,  and  consequently  that  the 
heaven  was  a  place  which  Solomon  had 
built  for  the  residence  of  the  Most  High 
by  his  appropriate  symbol.  In  think- 
ing of  '  the  heaven'  of  which  Solomon 
here  speaks  we  are  to  bring  before  our 
minds  the  imagery  connected  with  the 
holy  of  holies,  viz.,  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant, the  mercy-seat  or  throne,  the  over- 
shadowing cherubinis,  and  the  luminous 
cloud  of  the  Shekinah. 

Tliis  view  will  be  confirmed  by  the 
parallel  recital  in  2  Chron.  chps.  6  and 
7,  particularly  7.  1,2,  where  a  circum- 
stance of  great  importance  is  noticed, 
which  is  not  stated  in  the  book  of 
Kings  ;  'Now  when  Solomon  had  made 
an  end  of  praying,  the  fire  came  down 
from  heaven  ('D^'?2'II^'n'n  m'thash-shama- 
yim,  from  the  heaven),  and  consumed 
the  burnt-offering  and  the  sacrifices  ; 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the 
house.  And  the  priests  could  not  en- 
ter into  the  house  of  the  Lord,  be- 
cause the  glory  of  the  Lord  had  filled 
the  Lord's  house.'  The  answer  thus 
given  to  the  prayer  of  Solomon  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  worshippers,  gave 
evidence  that  God  had  accepted  the 
house,  the  sanctuary,  the  heaven,  the 
place  prepared  for  his  sitting;  for  the 
fire  here  spoken  of  descended  undoubt- 
edly not  from  heaven  above,  but  from 
the  cloud  which  covered  the  mercy-seat 


in  the  holy  of  holies.  It  is  to  be  ob- 
served that  the  cloud  had  filled  not  on- 
ly the  inner  apartment  in  which  the 
priests  had  placed  the  mercy-seat,  but 
the  holy  place  or  outer  apartment,  in 
which  the  priests  usually  officiated,  so 
that  the  priests  could  no  longer  con- 
tinue there  (1  Kings,  8.  10).  All  were 
in  the  court  without,  in  that  part  where 
the  altar  stood,  before  the  sanctuarj* ; 
and  when  Solomon  had  ended  his  pray- 
er, fire  came  forth  from  the  sanctuary, 
from  which  the  priests  had  been  ex- 
pelled by  the  luminous  cloud,  the  pre- 
pared place  of  God^s  sitting,  the  heaven, 
and  fell  upon  and  consumed  the  sacri- 
fice. This  is  to  be  presumed  from  the 
analogous  circumstance  mentioned  Lev. 
9.  23,  24,  'And  Moses  and  Aaron  went 
into  the  Tabernacle  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  came  out  and  blessed  the  peo- 
ple J  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appear- 
ed unto  all  the  people.  And  there  came 
a  fire  out  from  before  the  Lord,  and 
consumed  upon  the  altar  the  burnt- 
offering  and  the  fat :  which  when  all 
the  people  saw,  they  shouted  and  fell 
on  their  faces.'  By  this  is  doubtless 
meant  that  the  fire  came  out  from  the 
presence  of  the  Shekinah,  which  had 
now  taken  its  station  in  the  holy  of  ho- 
lies, though  the  glorious  eff'ulgence  had 
spread  itself  on  this  occasion  over  all  the 
Tabernacle  and  appeared  in  the  view  of 
the  whole  congregation.  Consider  more- 
over the  coincidence  of  the  circumstan- 
ces stated  respecting  this  heaven,  the 
place  prepared  by  Solomon  for  the  God  of 
Israel  to  dwell  in,  and  those  stated  by 
John  respecting  the  heaven  he  describes. 
In  Solomon's  heaven  there  was  a  seat  or 
throne  (the  mercy-seat)  ;  so  there  is  in 
John's.  Solomon's  heaven  was  a  speak- 
ing-place or  oracle,  and  from  Solomon's 
heaven  came  fire  to  consume  the  sacri- 
fice ;  so  also  from  the  throne  described 
by  John  proceeded  voices  and  light' 
nings,  Rev.  4.  5  ;  and  the  seat  in  each 
is  occupied  by  One  to  whom  divine 
honors  are  paid. 


88 


EXODTJS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


The  foregoing  are  not  the  only  pas- 
sages which  serve  to  prove  that  '  the 
heaven'  in  which  John  saw  the  opened 
entrance  and  the  throne,  was  the  earth' 
hj  sanctuary.  In  proportion  as  the  re- 
lation which  subsists  between  tlie  dif- 
ferent things  mentioned  in  the  Apoca- 
lypse is  discovered,  our  knowledge  of 
the  particulars  will  be  extended.  At 
present  we  will  simply  advert  to  a  sin- 
gle passage  which  will  receive  a  strik- 
ing light  from  the  exposition  given 
above.  In  Rev.  13.  1 — 10,  we  have  the 
description  of  a  symbolical  beast  iden- 
tical with  the  fourth  beast  of  Daniel, 
which  is  all  but  universally  admitted 
to  shadow  forth  the  persecuting  power 
of  the  Roman  empire.  Among  the  other 
disastrous  doings  of  this  baneful  mon- 
ster, it  is  said,  v.  6,  that  'he  opened  his 
mouth  in  blasphemy  against  God,  to 
blaspheme  his  name,  and  his  Taber- 
nacle, and  them  that  dwell  in  heaven.'' 
That  is,  to  blaspheme,  reproach,  vilify, 
lord  it  over,  and  persecute  the  true  wor- 
shippers of  God,  represented  by  the  Che- 
rubims  that  were  placed  over  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant,  in  the  holy  of  holies.  So 
that  in  blaspheming  the  tabernacle,  he 
blasphemed  those  that  dwelt  in  it,  or  in 
other  words,  those  that  dtvelt  in  heaven.' 

On  the  whole,  we  cannot  question 
but  that  this  idea  of  the  import  of 
the  term  '  heaven'  is  important  to  a 
right  view  of  that  blessed  expectancy 
which,  under  the  same  name,  sustains 
and  fires  the  hope  of  the  Christian  in 
his  toilsome  pilgrimage  through  this 
vale  of  tears.  If  we  conceive  the  sub- 
ject aright,  the  heavenly  state  is  the 
substance  of  the  mystery  of  the  Most 
Holy  Place  of  the  Tabernacle  and  Tem- 
ple. This  mystery  is  explained  in  the 
closing  chapters  of  the  Apocalypse, 
which  affords  us  the  only  adequate  clue 
to  the  prophetic  purport  of  the  Taber- 
nacle-structure. There  indeed  the  in- 
ner oracle  is  expanded  into  a  glorious 
city,  but  it  is  enriched  with  the  posses- 
sion of  the  same  celestial  sanctities, 


unfolded  into  their  full  dimensions,  and 
shining  forth  in  a  splendor  suited  to 
their  divine  nature.  The  link  of  con- 
nexion between  the  type  and  the  anti- 
type, the  shadow  and  the  substance,  we 
doubt  not,  is  clearly  disclosed  in  tlie  fol- 
lowing passages  ;  'And  he  carried  me 
away  in  the  spirit  to  a  great  and  high 
mountain,  and  showed  me  that  great  city 
the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of 
heaven  from  God,  having  the  glory  of 
God  :  and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone 
most  precious,  even  like  a  jasper-stone, 
clear  as  crystal ;  and  the  city  liethfour- 
square,  and  the  length  is  as  large  as  the 
breadth :  and  he  measured  the  city  with 
the  reed,  twelve  thousand  furlongs. 
The  length,  and  the  breadth,  and  the 
height  of  it  are  equal.'  Here  we  re- 
cognise in  the  '  Glory  of  God'  the  She- 
kinah  of  the  ancient  economy,  and  in 
the  four-square  form  of  the  city  the 
substantiated  verity  of  the  holy  of  holies 
of  the  Tabernacle  and  the  Temple,  in 
each  of  which  this  apartment  was  o 
perfect  cube.  Again  it  is  said,  'And  I 
saw  no  temple  therein  :  for  the  Lord 
God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the 
temple  of  it.'  By  the  'temple'  here  is 
to  be  understood  the  pronaos,  or  ante- 
rior structure,  which  contained  the 
outer  room,  as  contradistinguished  from 
the  sanctum  sanctorum,  which  in  this 
ulterior  economy  of  glory  has  absorbed 
within  itself  the  distinguishing  features 
of  every  previous,  imperfect  and  shad- 
owy dispensation,  and  become  the  all 
in  all.  'And  the  city  had  no  need  of 
the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine 
in  it ;  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten 
it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof. 
And  there  shall  be  no  night  there  ;  and 
they  need  no  candle,  neither  light  of 
the  sun ;  for  the  Lord  God  gireth 
them  light :  and  they  shall  reign  for 
ever  and  ever.'  This  is  language  evi- 
dently borrowed  from  Isaiah  in  speak- 
ing, chap.  19.  20,  of  the  same  halcyon 
period  ;  'The  sun  shall  be  no  more  thy 
light   by  day:   neither  for  brightness 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


89 


shall  the  moon  give  light  unto  thee  : 
but  the  Lord  shall  be  unto  thee  an  ever- 
lasting light,  and  thy  God  thy  glory. 
Thy  sun  shall  no  more  go  down  ;  nei- 
ther shall  thy  moon  withdraw  itself: 
for  the  Lord  shall  be  thine  everlasting 
light,  and  the  days  of  thy  mourning 
shall  be  ended.'  It  contains  another, 
and  still  more  emphatic,  recognition 
of  that  Resplendent  Presence  which  un- 
der the  title  of  Jehovah,  Angel  of  Je- 
hovah, Shekinah,  Glory  of  the  Lord, 
&c.,  pointed  forward  to  Christ  in  his 
risen  and  glorified  theanthropy,  when  he 
should  be  revealed,  as  he  is  here,  as 
the  Luminary  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
superseding  the  sun,  and  throwing  all 
created  glory  into  eclipse.  In  the  idea 
of  this  transcendent  illumination  we 
may  safely  include  all  the  moral  ele- 
ments, which  in  the  pious  mind  natu- 
rally connect  themselves  with  the  mani- 
fested presence  of  the  God  of  Truth, 
and  at  the  same  time  admit  the  sense 
of  the  visible  personal  display  which 
seems  to  be  called  for  by  the  explicit- 
ness  of  the  letter.  Still  we  are  remind- 
ed that  the  scene,  however  magnificent 
and  beautiful,  is  sublunary.  Whatever 
physical  changes  of  a  renovating  nature 
may  take  place  upon  the  surface  of  the 
globe,  or  in  its  relation  to  the  planet- 
ary system,  the  locality  of  this  state 
of  *  accomplished  bliss'  will  be  upon 
the  earth  which  we  now  inhabit,  at 
least  for  the  period  to  vi'hich  the  Scrip- 
tures carry  forward  the  heirs  of  life  in 
their  revelations  of  eternal  destiny. 
What  new  phases  of  felicity  may  come 
over  their  lot  in  the  boundless  tract 
of  time  and  space  into  which  their  ex- 
istence is  launched,  revolving  ages  can 
alone  determine.  But  the  disclosures 
of  revelation  still  retain  us  within  the 
precincts  of  the  inhabited  earth.  'And 
the  nations  of  them  which  are  saved 
shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it ;  and  the 
kings  of  the  earth  do  bring  their  glory 
and  honor  into  it.'  This  is  strikingly 
paralleled  by  the  kindred  prediction  of 


Isaiah,  ch.60.2,  3—11,  'The  Lord  shall 
arise  upon  thee,  and  his  glory  shall 
be  seen  upon  thee.  And  the  Gentiles 
(nations)  shall  come  to  thy  light,  and 
kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising. 
Therefore  thy  gates  shall  be  open  con- 
tinually ;  they  shall  not  be  sliut  day 
nor  night,  that  men  may  bring  unto  thee 
the  forces  (wealth)  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
that  their  kings  may  be  brought.'  All 
this  supposes  a  scene  still  earthly. 

A  few  more  extracts  pointing  out  the 
identity  of  the  heavenly  city  with  the 
substance  of  the  most  holy  place  of  the 
Tabernacle,  and  we  bid  a  reluctant 
adieu  to  the  inspiring  theme.  'And  he 
shewed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life, 
clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the 
throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  And 
there  shall  be  no  more  curse  ;  but  the 
throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb  shall  be  in 
it ;  and  his  servants  shall  serve  him : 
and  they  shall  see  his  face ;  and  his  name 
shall  be  in  their  foreheads.'  These  serv- 
ants are  the  cherubic  legions,  whose  ap- 
propriate device  in  the  sanctuary  looked 
from  the  extremities  of  the  mercy-seat 
directly  upon  the  bright  cloud  of  the 
Presence,  now  developed  into  myriads 
of  happy  human  existences,  rejoicing 
before  the  throne,  and  making  their 
perpetual  oblations  of  service  and  praise. 
In  view  of  this  blissful  inheritance, 
who  does  not  feel  involuntarily  prompt- 
ed to  exclaim  with  the  prophet,  'Glory 
to  the  righteous!'  And  who  but  must 
be  profoundly  impressed  with  the  in- 
effable misery  of  those  who  shall  finally 
come  short  of  this  'exceeding  and  eter- 
nal weight  of  glory?'  May  then  the 
solemn  concluding  intimation  of  the 
Apocalypse  sink  into  the  deepest  re- 
cesses of  the  souls  both  of  the  writer 
and  his  readers  ;  'Blessed  are  they  that 
do  his  commandments,  that  they  may 
have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may 
enter  in  through  the  gates  into  the  city. 
For  without  are  dogs,  and  sorcerers, 
and  whoremongers,  and  murderers,  and 
idolaters,  and  whosoever    loveth    and 


90 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


10  1[  k  And  they  shall  make  an 
ark  of  shittim-wood :  two  cubits 
and  a  half  shall  be  the  length  there- 

kch.  37.  1.    Deut.  10.  3.     Ilebr.  9.  4. 

maketh  a  lie.  I  Jesus  have  sent  mine 
angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things 
in  the  churches.  I  am  the  root  and  the 
offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and 
morning-star.  And  the  Spirit  and  the 
bride  say  come.  And  let  him  that  hear- 
eth  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  is 
athirst  come.  And  whosoever  will,  let 
him  take  the  water  of  hfe  freely.' 

THE  ARK  OF  THE  COVENANT. 

10.  Tlicy  shall  make  an  ark  of  Shittim- 
wood.  Heb.  "^Tli^  aron.  From  the  iden- 
tity of  rendering,  it  might  be  thought 
that  the  ark  of  the  Tabernacle  and  that 
of  Noah  were  expressed  by  the  same 
term  in  Hebrew.  But  such  is  not  the 
case.  The  former  is  called  '^I'^i^  aro7}, 
and  the  latter  \l'2t^  tchah;  but  the  Greek 
having  rendered  both  terms  by  Kifiiojroi, 
this  has  been  followed  by  our  own  and 
many  other  versions.  The  object  itself 
was  properly  a  chest  or  coffer  of  shittim- 
wood,  overlaid  with  gold,  in  which  was 
deposited  the  tables  of  the  ten  command- 
ments, together  with  Aaron's  rod  that 
budded,  and  the  golden  pot  of  preserved 
manna.  This  chest  seems  to  have  been 
of  the  dimensions  of  three  feet  nine 
inches  in  length,  by  two  feet  three 
inches  in  breadth  and  depth,  according 
to  the  common  cubit  of  eighteen  inches. 
Around  the  upper  edge  was  a  rim  or 
cornice — called  in  the  text  'a  crown' — 
of  pure  gold  ;  and  on  each  side  were 
fixed  rings  of  gold  to  receive  the  poles 
of  shittim-wood  covered  with  gold,  by 
which  the  ark  was  carried  from  place 
to  place.  The  staves  alwaj's  remained 
in  the  rings,  even  when  the  ark  was  at 
rest.  The  ark  had  at  top  a  lid  or  cover 
of  solid  gold ;  for  such  was  what  the 
text  calls  '  the  mercy-seat,'  and  which 
the  Septuagint  renders  [\anrv;pii>v  or  the 
propitiatory  J  by  which  name  it  .s  men- 


of,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the 
breadth  thereof,  and  a  cubit  and  a 
half  the  height  thereof. 


tioned  by  St.  Paul  in  Heb.  9.  4,  and 
which  was  probably  so  called,  because, 
on  the  great  day  of  atonement,  the  blood 
of  the  expiatory  sacrifice  was  sprinkled 
on  or  before  it.  Upon  the  two  ends  of 
this  lid,  and  of  the  same  matter  with  it, 
that  is,  solid  gold,  were  placed  two 
figures  of  cherubim  which  looked  to- 
wards each  other,  and  whose  out- 
stretched wings,  meeting  over  the  cen- 
tre of  the  ark,  overshadowed  it  com- 
pletely. It  was  here  that  the  Shekinah 
or  Divine  Presence  more  immediately 
rested,  and  both  in  the  Tabernacle  and 
Temple  was  indicated  by  a  cloud,  from 
the  midst  of  which  responses  were  de- 
livered in  an  audible  voice  whenever 
the  Lord  was  consulted  in  behalf  of  the 
people.  Hence  God  is  sometimes  men- 
tioned as  he  that  'dwelleth'  or  '  sitteth 
between  the  cherubim.'  In  its  removals 
the  ark  was  covered  with  a  vail,  Num. 
4.  6,  and  might  only  be  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  priests  orLevites.  The 
Rabbins  think,  with  some  reason,  that 
it  was  only  carried  by  the  priests  on 
extraordinary  occasions,  being  ordina- 
rily borne  by  the  Levites.  Nootherform 
of  conveyance  was  allowed,  nor  were 
any  other  persons  permitted  to  interfere 
with  it.  The  Cite  of  Uzzah,  2  Sam.  6.  3, 
admonished  the  Israelites,  in  a  very 
solemn  manner,  of  the  consequences  of 
even  a  well  meant  ofRciousness  in  a 
matter  where  the  divine  will  liad  been 
so  clearly  expressed  to  the  contrary. 

After  the  Israelites  had  passed  the 
Jordan,  the  ark  generally  occupied  its 
proper  place  in  the  Tabernacle,  and  was 
afterwards  placed  in  the  Temple  built 
by  Solomon.  From  the  direction  given 
by  Josiah  to  the  Levites,  2  Chron.  35.  3, 
to  restore  the  ark  to  its  place,  it  would 
seem  to  have  been  previously  removed, 
but  it  is  not  knov,n  whether  this  was 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


91 


done  by  the  priests,  to  preserve  it  from 
profanation,  or  by  the  idolatrous  kings 
Manasseh  or  Amon,  to  make  room  for 
their  idols.  It  seems  that  the  ark,  with 
the  other  precious  things  of  the  Tem- 
ple, became  the  spoil  of  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, and  was  taken  to  Babylon  ;  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  it  was  restored  at 
the  end  of  the  captivity,  or  that  any 
new  one  was  made.  What  became  of 
the  ark  after  the  captivity  cannot  be 
ascertained.  Some  of  the  Rabbms  think 
that  it  was  concealed,  to  preserve  it 
from  the  Chaldeans,  and  that  it  could 
not  again  be  discovered,  nor  will  be  till 
the  Messiah  comes  and  reveals  it. 
Others  say  that  it  was  indeed  taken 
away  by  the  Chaldeans,  but  was  after- 
wards restored,  and  occupied  its  place 
in  the  second  Temple  :  but  the  Talmud 
and  some  of  the  Jewish  writers  confess, 
that  the  want  of  the  ark  was  one  of  the 
points  in  which  the  second  Temple  was 
inferior  to  that  of  Solomon  :  to  which 
we  may  add  that  neither  Ezra,  Nehe- 


miah,  the  Maccabees,  nor  Josephus, 
mention  the  ark  as  extant  in  the  second 
Temple,  and  the  last  authority  ex- 
pressly says  that  there  was  nothing  in 
the  sanctuary  when  the  Temple  was 
taken  by  Titus.  It  certainly  does  not 
appear  in  the  Arch  erected  at  Rome  in 
honor  of  that  conqueror,  and  in  which 
the  spoils  of  the  Temple  are  displayed  ; 
although  some  writers  have  attempted 
to  identify  it  with  the  table  of  shew- 
bread  which  is  there  represented. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  similar  arks 
or  chests,  containing  the  mysteries  of 
their  religions,  were  common  among 
nearly  all  the  ancient  heathen  nations, 
the  hint  of  which  was  probably  taken 
from  that  of  the  Jews.  The  Egyptians, 
for  instance,  carried  in  solemn  proces- 
sions a  sacred  chest,  containing  tlieir  se- 
cret things  and  the  mysteries  of  their  re- 
ligion, of  which  the  following  cut,  from 
the  hieroglyphic  remains  of  that  coun- 
try, shows  a  very  remarkable  conform- 
ity to  the  Hobi-ew  model. 


Egyptian  Ark  Borne  by  Priests. 


The  Trojans  also  had  their  sacred 
chest ;  and  the  palladium  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans  was  something  not  very  un- 
like. It  is  remarkable  too,  that  as  the 
Hebrew  Tabernacle  and  Temple  had  a 


holy  of  holies,  in  which  the  ark  was  de- 
posited, so  had  the  heathen,  in  the  in- 
most part  of  their  temples,  an  adytum 
or  penetrale,  which  none  but  the  priests 
might  enter.    Something  very  similar 


92 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


11  And  thou  shalt  overlay  it  with 
pure  gold,  within  and  without  shalt 
thou  overlay  it ;  and  shalt  make  up- 
on it  a  crown  of  gold  round  about. 

12  And  thou  shalt  cast  four  rings 
of  gold  for  it,  and  put  them  in  the 
four  corners  thereof;  and  two  rings 
shall  be  in  the  one  side  of  it,  and 
two  rings  in  the  other  side  of  it. 

13  And  thou  shalt  make  staves  of 
shittim-wood,  and  overlay  them 
with  gold. 

may  also  be  traced  among  barbarous  and 
savage  nations.  Thus,  Tacitus,  speak- 
ing of  the  nations  of  Northern  Germa- 
ny, of  whom  our  Saxon  ancestors  were 
a  branch,  says  that  they  generally  wor- 
shipped Hertham,  or  the  Mother  Earth 
{Terram  matrem);  believing  her  to  in- 
terpose in  the  affairs  of  men,  and  to 
visit  nations  ;  and  that  to  her,  within  a 
grove  in  a  certain  island,  was  conse- 
crated a  vehicle  covered  xcith  a  vest- 
ment, and  which  none  but  the  priests 
were  allowed  to  touch.  The  same  thing 
has  been  frequently  noticed  in  con- 
nexion Avilh  the  religious  systems  of 
other  heathen  nations,  and  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Mexico  and  the  South 
Sea  Islands,  very  curious  analogies  with 
the  Mosaic  ark  have  been  discovered, 
of  which  the  reader  will  find  an  account 
in  Parkhurst's  Heb.  Lex.  Art.  y^. 

11.  Make  upon  it  a  crown  of  gold 
round  abozit.  Heb.  ^"^DD  'ZTM  It  zer 
zahab    sabib,  a   golden  border  round 

about.  Gr.  KVjiaTia  ■^pvaa  arpcTTra,  gold- 
en wreathed  waves  round  about.  This 
'crown'  was  an  ornamental  cornice, 
moulding,  or  border,  which  went  round 
the  top,  as  a  kind  of  enclosure  serving 
to  make  firm  the  propitiatory  in  its 
place,  and  called  a  'crown'  from  its  en- 
compassing the  whole  outer  extremities 
of  the  upper  side  of  the  ark  somewhat 
as  a  crown  encircles  the  temples  of  the 
head.  The  term  is  only  employed  in 
reference  to  the  rims  or  crowns  of  gold 
made  round  the  ark  of  the  covenant, 


14  And  thou  shalt  put  the  staves 
into  the  rings  by  the  sides  of  the 
ark,  that  the  ark  may  be  borne 
with  them. 

15  1  The  staves  shall  be  in  the 
rings  of  the  ark :  they  shall  not  be 
taken  from  it. 

16  And  thou  shalt  put  into  the  ark 
m  the  testimony  which  I  shall  give 
thee. 

1  1  Kings  8.  8.  m  ch.  16.  34.  &  31.  18.  Deut. 
10.  2,5.  &  31.26.  1  Kings  8.  9.  2  Kings  11. 
12.    Hebr.  9.  4. 


the  table  of  shew-bread,  and  the  altar 
of  incense.  From  the  rendering  of  the 
Greek  it  w^ould  appear  that  the  work  of 
this  cornice  was  somehow  exquisitely 
wrought  in  graceful  flexures  or  undula- 
tions, resembling  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

12.  Thou  shall  cast  four  rings  of 
gold,  &c.  Doubtless  of  solid  gold,  as 
they  w£re  to  sustain  a  very  consider- 
able weight  when  the  staves  were  in- 
serted and  the  ark  borne  by  the  priests. 
Whether  these  rings  w^ere  placed  length- 
wise or  breadthwise  of  the  ark  is  not 
clear.  We  infer  the  latter,  however, 
as  otherwise,  when  carried,  the  front 
part  of  the  ark  with  its  cherubim  would 
be  sideways,  which  is  not  likely.  Be- 
sides we  are  told,  1  Kings,  8.  8,  that  in 
the  Temple  'the  ends  of  the  staves  were 
seen  out  in  the  holy  place,  before  the 
oracle  ;'  consequently,  as  the  ark  front- 
ed the  entrance,  the  staves  must  have 
run  along  the  extremity  of  its  breadth, 
instead  of  its  length. 

16.  Thou  shalt  put  —  the  testimony, 
&c.  That  is,  the  two  tables  of  stone  on 
which  the  Law  of  the  ten  Command- 
ments was  written  ;  called  '  the  testi- 
mony,' because  God  did  in  them  testify 
his  authority  over  the  Israelites,  his  re- 
gard for  them,  his  presence  with  them, 
and  his  displeasure  against  them  in 
case  they  transgressed ;  while  they  on 
the  other  hand  by  accepting  and  deposit- 
ing this  Law  in  its  appointed  place, 
testified  their  professed  subjection  and 
obedience  to  its  requirements. — On  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


93 


17  And  n  thou shalt  makea mercy- 
seat  of  pure  gold  :  two  cubits  and  a 
half  shall  he    the  length  thereof, 

n  ch.  37.  6.     Rom.  3.  25.     Hebr.  9.  5. 

difRcuUy  supposed  to  be  created  by  the 
comparison  of  this  passage  with  Heb. 
9.  4,  see  the  commentators  on  that  text, 
particularly  the  XVIIth  Excursus  in 
Prof.  Stuart's  Commentary  on  Hebrews. 

17,  Thou  shalt  make  a  mercy-seat  of 
pure  gold.  Heb.tl^55  kapporeth,  from 
"IS^  kaphar,  to  cover.  The  verb  is, 
however,  used  for  the  most  part  in  a 
moral  sense,  being  applied  to  the  cover- 
ing, that  is,  the  expiation^  of  sins.  The 
Gr.  version  unites  the  two  senses  by 
rendering  iXaarrjpiuv  cTriQejia,  that  is,  a 
propitiatory  covering,  or  mercy-seat, 
a  rendering  sanctioned  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  as  we  find  it  employed,  with  the 
omission  of  the  last  word,  by  the  apos- 
tle, Heb.  9.  5,  'And  over  it  the  cheru- 
bims  of  glory  shadowing  the  mercy- 
seat  {'iXaarrjoiov).''  The  same  term  in 
Rom.  3.  25,  is  applied  to  Christ,  'whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation 
{l\aaTr}pinv)  through  faith  in  his  blood.' 
So  also  1  John,  2.  2,  'He  is  the  propi- 
tiation (IXaarripiov)  for  our  sins.'  From 
whence  the  conclusion  is  probably  fair- 
ly to  be  drawn,  that  this  mercy-seat  was 
in  some  sense  an  adumbration  of  Christ 
as  the  grand  medium  of  expiation  for 
the  sins  of  men.  This  mercy-seat, 
which  was  made  of  solid  gold  instead 
of  wood  overlaid  with  gold,  like  the 
rest  of  the  ark,  was  the  upper  side  of 
the  sacred  chest  made  to  be  removed 
entirely,  or,  as  Josephus  says,  raised 
by  binges,  when  the  tables  of  testimony 
were  to  be  taken  out  or  put  in. 

THE    CHERUBIM. 

18.  Thou  shalt  make  two  cherubims 
of  gold,  &c.  Heb.  fi'^^IlD  kerubim.  Gr. 
■)(^t:povpin  Cheroubim.  Our  English  word 
IS  the  plural  untranslated  of  the  orig- 
mal  '2.1^'D  kerub,  a  term  of  which  the 
etymology  is  very  much  of  a  contested 


and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the  breadth 
thereof. 

18  And  thou  shalt  make  two  che- 
rubims of  gold,    of  beaten  work 

point  with  critics  and  lexicographers. 
According  to  the  regular  analogy  of 
the  language,  it  has  the  form  of  the 
past  participle  of  the  verb  '2'^'D  karab. 
But  no  such  verb  exists  among  the  liv- 
ing roots  of  the  Hebrew.  It  was  there- 
fore regarded  by  most  of  the  ancient 
Christian  fathers  as  a  compound  word 
made  up  perhaps  of  *nj3  nakar ,  to  know, 
and  D1")  rub,  multitude,  equivalent  to 
multitudo  scientice  or  multitudo  cogni- 
tionis,  abundance  of  knowledge  ;  or  of 
'D  kc,  1311  rub,  and  TO'^l  binah,  quasi 
multitudo  cognitionis,  of  equivalent  im- 
port. But  this  mode  of  derivation  is 
so  utterly  at  variance  with  the  laws 
which  regulate  the  process  of  formation 
in  Hebrew  words,  that  it  cannot  be  sus- 
tained for  a  moment  when  tried  by  the 
test  of  sound  criticism.  Yet  it  is  remark- 
able that  in  nearly  all  the  ancient  in- 
terpretations the  idea  of  multitude  was 
prominent,  indicating  that  they  regard- 
ed 1311  multitudo  as  beyond  doubt  one 
of  its  constituent  elements.  We  have 
no  doubt  they  were  correct  in  assigning 
this  as  one  of  the  meanings  of  the  sym- 
bol, but  they  were  unquestionably  wrong 
in  eliciting  this  idea  from  the  etymology 
of  the  term.  At  the  same  time,  although 
the  genius  of  the  language  will  not  ad- 
mit the  legitimate  developement  of  the 
sense  o{  knowledge  or  intelligence  from 
any  part  of  the  word,  yet  it  is  very 
possible  to  account  for  this  sense  being 
deduced  from  it  by  the  philosophizing 
fathers  of  the  church ;  for  with  the 
Platonists  wings  were  deemed  an  em- 
blem o(  wisdom  and  knowledge,  and  the 
same  import  was  thought  to  be  con- 
veyed by  the  Cherubim  being  '  full  of 
eyes  before  and  behind.'  Taking  there- 
fore  this  apprehended  import  of  the 
symbol  itself,  and  applying  it  reflexly 
to  the  structure  of  the  term,  they  gave 


94 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149 J. 


as  the  result  the  interpretation  above- 
mentioned,  which  is  no  unfair  specimen 
of  patristic  philology.  Others  again 
with  more  regard  to  intrinsic  probabil- 
ity have  proposed,  by  a  transposition 
of  letters,  to  trace  the  word  to  the  root 
—5^  rakab,  to  ride,  as  the  Cherubim 
are  described  in  the  remarkable  vision 
of  Ezekiel,  eh.  1,  as  forming,  together 
with  the  mystic  animated  wheels,  a 
kind  o[ living  chariot  on  which  the  sym- 
bol of  the  divine  glory  is  exhibited  as 
upborne  and  transported ;  whence  the 
Psalmist,  Ps.  18. 10,  describes  the  Most 
High  as  '  riding  upon  the  Cherub  ;'  and 
the  Cherubim  in  Solomon's  temple,  1 
Chron.  28.  18,  are  called  '  a  chariot.' 

By  others  various  other  etymologies 
have  been  suggested,  but  none  entirely 
satisfactory.  After  a  pretty  extensive 
and  elaborate  investigation  we  have  on 
the  whole  been  inclined  to  give  the  pre- 
ference to  the  root  abovementioned, 
viz. J  '21'D  karab,  now  obsolete  in  He- 
brew, but  existing  in  Syriac  and  Arabic 
in  the  primitive  sense  of  ploughing  or 
making  furrows  in  the  earth ;  and 
thence,  secondly,  of  making  incisions 
in  metals,  or  engraving,  and  finally  by 
natural  transition,  of  making  sculptured 
figures,  or  glyphs,  of  any  kind.  This 
is  confirmed  by  Rosenmuller,  who  re- 
marks that  as  one  and  the  same  word 
in  Syriac  and  Arabic  is  used  to  denote 
expressing,  sculpturing,  and  fabricat- 
ing, so  in  the  verb  D'l^  karab  and  its 
derivates  the  same  complex  idea  is  in- 
volved, as  is  to  be  inferred  from  the 
fact  that  the  Syriac  korubo  signifies  not 
only  a  ploughman,  but  also  a  former  of 
images.  It  may  also  be  observed  that 
as  6,  V,  and  /  are  in  all  languages  per- 
mutable,  being  letters  of  the  same  or- 
gan, this  etymology  presents  us  with 
some  remarkable  affinities.  For  begin- 
ning with  the  Heb.  '2^'D  karab,  to  make 
incisions,  we  find  in  the  Teutonic  family 
for  inciderc,  to  cut  as  in  engraving. 
Germ,  kerben,  Angl.  Sax.  keorfan,  Eng. 
carve;  and  then  as  g  and  k  are  inter- 


changeable, we  have  the  Gr.  ypacpco, 
grapho,  Germ,  graben,  Angl.  Sax.  gra- 
fan,  Eng.  grave,  engrave,  and  Fr.  grif- 
fon (griffin),  ^n  imaginary  animal  com- 
pounded of  beast  and  bird,  evidently  de- 
rived from  a  distortion  of  the  cherubic 
figure.  In  all  these  words  the  idea  of 
sculpturing  or  engraving  is  predomin- 
ant, and  according  to  the  analogy  of 
Hebrew  formations  ^1^5  kerub  would 
properly  signify  that  which  was  carved, 
sculptured,  or  wrought  with  a  graving 
tool,  thus  corresponding  very  well  with 
what  is  said  of  the  Cherubim  as  a  kind 
of  statuary  or  wrought  images  placed 
over  the  mercy-seat. 

In  the  annexed  cut  it  may  be  thought 
that  we  have  but  loosely  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  Moses  in  'making  every  thing 
after  the  pattern  shown  in  the  mount,' 
inasmuch  as  Moses  says  nothing  of  the 
fourfold  variety  of  faces  which  we  have 
here  given  to  the  Cherubic  emblem.  But 
our  design  is  taken  from  the  Cherubim 
of  Ezekiel,  which  are  thus  described, 
ch.  1.  4 — 14.  'And  I  looked,  and  be- 
hold, a  whirlwind  came  out  of  the 
north,  a  great  cloud,  and  a  fire  unfold- 
ing itself,  and  a  brightness  was  about 
it,  and  out  of  the  midst  thereof  as  the 
color  of  amber,  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
fire.  Also  out  of  the  midst  thereof  came 
the  likeness  of  four  living  creatures. 
And  this  w'as  their  appearance  ;  they 
had  the  likeness  of  a  man.  And  every 
one  had  four  faces,  and  everyone  hal 
four  wings.  And  their  feet  were  straight 
feet ;  and  the  sole  of  their  feet  w-as 
like  the  sole  of  a  calf's  foot ;  and  they 
sparkled  like  the  color  of  burnished 
brass.  And  they  had  the  hands  of  a 
man  under  their  wings  on  their  four 
sides  ;  and  they  four  had  their  faces  and 
their  wings.  Their  wings  were  joined 
one  to  another ;  they  turned  not  when 
they  went ;  they  went  every  one  straight 
forward.  As  for  the  likeness  of  their 
faces,  they  four  had  the  face  of  a  man, 
and  the  face  of  a  lion,  on  the  right  side : 
and  they  four  had  the  face  of  an  ox  on 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


95 


appearance  of  lamps:  it  went  up  and 
down  among  the  living  creatures ;  and 
the  fire  was  bright,  and  out  of  the  fire 
went  forth  lightning.  And  the  living 
creatures  ran  and  returned  as  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  flash  of  lightning.'  That 
these  visionary  beings,  though  here  call- 
ed '  living  creatures,'  were  in  fact  sym- 
they  went.  As  for  the  likeness  o/  the  {  bolically  identical  with  the  'cherubim,' 
living  creatures,  their  appearance  was  (erroneously  written  '  cherubims'  in  our 
like  burning  coals  of  fire,  and  like  the  I  version),  will  appear  in  the  sequel. 


the  left  side  ;  they  four  also  had  the 
face  of  an  eagle.  Thus  were  their  faces  : 
and  their  wings  were  stretched  upward  ; 
two  wings  of  every  one  were  joined  one 
to  another,  and  two  covered  their  bodies. 
And  they  went  every  one  straight  for- 
ward ;  whither  the  spirit  was  to  go, 
ihey  went ;  and  they  turned  not  when 


Aaic  OF  THE  Covenant  and  the  Cherubim. 


The  inquiry  now  arises  resjiccling 
the  symbolical  design  of  these  very  re- 
markable creations,  which,  from  being 
mere  lifeless  sculptured  statues  in  the 
Mosaic  Tabernacle,  became  animated, 
intelligent,  and  active  agents  in  the 
mystic  visions  of  the  prophets.  It  is 
certainly  one  of  the  lowest  aims  of  in- 
finite wisdom  in  any  part  of  its  dis- 
pensations to  adopt  a  system  of  sym- 
bols which  should  merely  address  them- 
selves in  beautiful  or  singular  forms  to 
the  senses,  or  to  the  imagination.  They 
approve  themselves  worthy  of  the  di- 


vine source  in  which  they  originate  on- 
ly as  they  disclose  a  rich  and  instruc- 
tive significancy  under  their  outward 
aspect.  That  such  is  preeminentlj^  the 
case  with  the  symbol  before  us,  wo 
shall  hope  to  make  appear  in  the  re- 
marks that  follow,  in  the  outset  of 
which  it  will  be  necessary  to  show  the 
identity  of  the  Cherubim  of  Moses  with 
the  Living  Creatures  of  Ezekiel.  In 
oi'der  to  this  it  is  to  be  observed,  that 
Ezekiel  w^as  in  captivity  in  Babylon 
when  this  vision  was  vouchsafed  him. 
But  it  appears  from  Ezek.  S.  1 — 3  that 


96 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


while  there  he  was  transported  in  spirit 
to  Jerusalem,  and  set  down  in  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  Templcj  where  he  beheld, 
among  other  objects,  the  Living  Crea- 
tures and  the  Throne,  previously  de- 
scribed, standing  in  the  inner  court. 
'Then,'  says  he,  ch.  10.  18—22,  'the 
glory  of  the  Lord  (the  Shekinah)  de- 
parted from  off  the  threshold  of  the 
house,  and  stood  over  the  cherubims. 
And  the  cherubims  lifted  up  their 
wings,  and  mounted  up  from  the  earth 
m  my  sight :  when  they  went  out,  the 
wheels  also  were  beside  them,  and 
every  one  stood  at  the  door  of  the  east 
gate  of  the  Lord's  house  ;  and  the  glory 
of  the  God  of  Israel  was  over  them 
above.  This  is  the  living  creature  (i.  e. 
collection  of  living  creatures)  that  I 
saw  under  the  God  of  Israel  by  the  river 
of  Chebar ;  and  I  knew  that  they  were 
the  cherubims.  Every  one  had  four 
faces  apiece,  and  every  one  four  wings  ; 
and  the  likeness  of  the  hands  of  a  man 
was  under  their  wings.  And  the  like- 
ness of  their  faces  was  the  same  faces 
which  1  saw  by  the  river  of  Chebar, 
their  appearances  and  themselves :  they 
went  every  one  straight  forward.'  The 
import  unquestionably  is,  that  although 
the  fact  was  not  at  first  made  known, 
or  the  idea  did  not  occur,  to  him,  yet 
now  upon  farther  pondering  the  sub- 
ject, he  became  fully  convinced  and  as- 
sured in  his  own  mind  that  these  Living 
Creatures  were  beings  of  the  same  sym- 
bolical purport  with  the  Cherubim  that 
stood  on  the  Mercy-seat  of  the  Ark  in 
the  Temple.  This  is  an  important  step 
in  the  progress  of  our  elucidation.  It 
authorises  us  to  set  it  down  as  a  point 
fixed  and  settled  beyond  all  debate,  that 
the  Cherubim  and  the  Living  Creatures 
are,  in  symbolical  significancy,  one  and 
the  same. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  consider  the 
very  remarkable  usage  of  the  sacred 
writers  in  regard  both  to  the  Hebrew 
and  Greek  original  of  the  term  rendered 
living  creatures   (Heb.  iTlT^n  hayoth. 


Gr.  ^(oa  zoa),  in  each  of  which  lan- 
guages the  respective  roots  of  the  words 
signify  to  live.  Yet  who  would  have 
thought  a  priori  that  these  would  have 
been  the  terms  employed  in  the  follow- 
ing passages  ?  Ps.  68.  9,  10,  '  Thou,  O 
God,  didst  send  a  plentiful  rain,  where- 
by thou  didst  confirm  thine  inheritance 
when  it  was  weary.  Thy  congregation 
Cirr^n  hayatheka,  thy  living  creature. 
Gr.  ra  ^wa  oov,  thy  living  creatures)  hath 
dwelt  therein.'  On  what  grounds,  philo- 
logically,  this  usage  is  to  be  explained, 
we  know  not,  but  it  is  clear  that  it  in- 
volves the  idea  of  multitude,  if  the  Eng- 
lish equivalent,  congregation,  can  be  any 
evidence  of  the  fact.  A  striking  parallel 
occurs,  2  Sam.  23.  11,  'And  the  Philis- 
tines were  gathered  together  irito  a  troop 
(rr^n^  lahayah,  into  a  living  creature. 
Gr.  eii  Otipiov^  into  a  wild  beast),  where 
was  a  piece  of  ground  full  of  lentiles  : 
and  the  people  fled  from  the  Philistines.' 
See  also,  v.  13,  'And  the  troop  (tl'^Tl 
hayah,  the  living  creature)  of  the  Phil- 
istines pitched  in  the  valley  of  Repha- 
im.'  The  Gr.  rendering  in  the  latter 
jjassage  does  not  conform,  being  rayjxa, 
a  rank,  order,  and  in  military  phrase  a 
battalion,  a  body  of  soldiery.  But  it  is 
clear  from  these  citations  viewed  to- 
gether, that  the  import  of  numbers  actu- 
ally enters  into  the  usage  of  the  orig- 
inal word  for  living  creature,  and  as 
the  living  creatures  and  the  cherubim 
are  symbolically  the  same,  the  idea  of 
multitude  is  equally  common  to  both. 
This  idea,  however,  it  is  to  be  recol- 
lected, arises  wholly  from  the  interpre- 
tation, and  not  fiom  the  etymology  ot 
the  terms. 

As  then  the  four  ^wa,  the  living  crea- 
tures, of  Ezekiel  are  identical  with  the 
cherubim,  so  they  are  plainly  identical 
also  with  the  four  beasts  ((wn)  which 
figure  so  conspicuously  in  the  mystic 
machinery  of  the  Apocalypse.  Passing 
from  the  visions  of  the  river  of  Cliebar 
to  those  of  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  we  be- 
hold the  following  scene  depicted  upon 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


97 


the   prophetic   canvass,  Rev.  4.  6 — 8, 
'And  before  the  throne  there  was  a  sea 
of  glass  like  unto  crystal :  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  throne,  and  round  about 
the   throne,   were  four  beasts,   full   of 
eyes  before  and  behind.     And  the  tirst 
beast  was  like   a  lion,  and  the*  second 
beast  was  like  a  calf,  and  the  third  beast 
had  a  face   as  a  man,  and  the  fourth 
beast  was   like   a   flying  eagle.      And 
the  four  beasts  had  each  of  them  six 
wings  about  him  ;  and  they  were  full 
of  eyes  within:  and  they  rest  not  day 
and   night,  saying,    Holy,  holy,  holy. 
Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is, 
and  is  to  come.'     As  the  Cherubim  in 
this  vision  are  nearer  to  the  Throne  and 
the  incumbent  Majesty  than  in  the  other, 
they  are  represented  as  having  six  wings 
instead  of  four,  to  denote  the  propriet}'- 
of  having  their  persons  more  fully  vail- 
ed  from  the  glance  of  that  holy  eye  to 
which  even   the  heavens  are   unclean. 
But  what  is  the  song  sung  by  these  em- 
blematic agents?    Ch.  5.   8—10,  'And 
when  he  had  taken  the  book,  the  four 
beasts,  and  four  and  twenty  elders  fell 
down  before  the  Lamb,  having  every 
one  of  them  harps,  and  golden  vials  full 
of  odors,  which  are  the  prayers  of  saints. 
And   they   sung   a  new  song,   saying. 
Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book,  and 
to  open  the  seals  thereof:  for  thou  wast 
slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by 
thy   blood   out   of  every  kindred,   and 
tongue,  and  people,   and  nation  ;   and 
hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and 
priests :    and  we    shall  reign    on    the 
earth.'  Can  the  reader  have  failed,  from 
these   ample   quotations,  to  anticipate 
the   conclusion  ©f  the  whole   matter? 
The  Cherubim  of  the  Tabernacle  and 
Temple,  the  Living  Creatures  of  Eze- 
kiel,  and  the  hymning  beasts  of  John, 
arc  all  one  and  the  same  symbol.    And 
what  is  the  truth  and  mystery  of  this 
symbol?     What  do  we  recognise  in  it 
but  human  instead  of  angelic  beings, 
even  a  multitude  of  the  redeemed  from 
among  men  ?    What  else  is  the  burden 
Vol.  IL  9 


of  that  grateful  anthem  which  resounds 
from  their  lips  ?  'Thou  nast  redeemed 
us  to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every 
kindrtd,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and 
nation.'  Can  this  possibly  be  the  lan- 
guage of  angels  ? — especially  when  we 
hear  the  apostle  saying,  Heb.  2.  16, 
'For  verily  he  took  not  on  him  the  na- 
ture of  angels,  but  he  look  on  him  the 
seed  of  Abraham,'  and  when,  moreover, 
we  find  in  this  very  context  the  angels 
e.xpressly  distinguished  from  the  ibur 
beasts. 

Conceiving  this  then  as  a  point  clear- 
ly ascertained,  that  the  Cherubim  of  the 
Apocalypse  adumbrate  a  human  and  not 
an  angelic  order  of  beings,  let  us  go  back 
and  apply  this  result  to  the  Cherubim 
of  the  Pentateuch.    We  behold  them 
stationed  on  the  Propitiatory,  with  the 
symbol  of  the  Divine  Presence  resting 
between  them,  somewhat   like  Moses 
on  the  mount  with  Aaron  and  Hur  sup- 
porting his  arms  on  either  side.  In  this 
position,   as  we   have   seen   that  they 
strictly  represent  men  and  not  angels, 
what  more  natural  than  that  their  pri- 
mary  and  proximate  drift  as  symbols 
should  be  to  shadow  forth  the  race  of 
Israel  and  the  great  fact  of  God^s  pecu- 
liar residence  among  them  ?     In   the 
cherubic  emblems  of  the  Tabernacle, 
therefore,  we  behold  a  mystic  embodi- 
ment of  the  congregation  which,  in  the 
wilderness,  was    ordinarily  encamped 
round  about  the  holy  fabric  without. 
Accordingly  the  high  priest  who  enter- 
ed into  the  holy  of  holies  and  there 
looked  upon  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant 
and  its  cherubic  appendages,  with  the 
Shekinah  enthroned  between,  beheld  in 
fact  but  a  miniature  model  of  what  he 
saw  on  a  large  scale  when  standing  in 
the  midst  of  the  many  thousands  of  Is- 
rael abiding  in  their  tents.    There  were 
tlie  Cherubim  resolved  into  their  con- 
stituent multitudes,  and  over  the  host 
rested   in  calm   majesty  the   Pillar  of 
Cloud,  the  visible  token  of  the  Divinity 
permanently  residing  among  the  chosen 


98 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


tribes.  But  even  this  was  a  typical 
scene,  presenting  to  the  eye  an  image 
of  that  state  wliich  shall  be  disclosed 
when  the  last  chapters  of  Isaiah,  Eze- 
kiel,  and  John  shall  be  fulfilled,  when 
the  Tabernacle  of  God  shall  again  be 
with  men,  and  he  shall  set  his  sanctu- 
ary in  the  midst  of  them  for  ever  more. 
Whether  Moses  or  Ezekiel  or  John 
were  tliemselves  aware  of  the  true  im- 
port of  these  hallowed  hieroglyphics, 
is  by  no  means  essential  to  the  validity 
of  our  conclusions  respecting  them.  We 
think  it  highly  probable,  on  the  whole, 
that  they  did  not  understand,  at  least 
but  partially,  their  true-meant  design. 
They  were  doubtless  among  the  things 
respecting  which  they  *  enquired  dili- 
gently,' but  were  obliged  to  leave  their 
full  significancy  to  be  elicited  for  the 
edification  of  subsequent  ages  of  the 
church.  Yet  even  in  the  description 
quoted  from  Ezekiel  there  are  occasion- 
al hints  and  intimations  which  might  be 
supposed  to  lead  to  a  strong  suspicion 
that  the  Living  Creatures  were  intend- 
ed to  shadow  forth  men  instead  of  an- 
gels. Thus  for  instance,  it  is  said,  Ezek. 
1.  5,  'And  this  was  their  appearance  ; 
they  had  the  likeness  of  a  manj^  that  is, 
their  predominating  aspect  was  human, 
notwithstanding  their  otherwise  singu- 
lar and" unearthly  form.  Again,  v.  8, 
'And  they  had  the  hands  of  a  man  un- 
der their  wings.'  The  same  circum- 
stance is  afterwards  mentioned  concern- 
ing the  Cherubim,  ch.  10.  8,  and  a  se- 
cond time  repeated,  v.  21,  as 'Something 
peculiarly  note-worthy,  that  '  there  ap- 
peared in  the  cherubims  the  form  of  a 
man's  hand  under  their  wings.'  These 
remarkable  items  in  the  description 
may  be  regarded  as  furnishing  at  least 
a  slight  inuendo  as  to  the  true  solution 
of  the  symbol.  But  it  was  reserved  for 
that  pen  which  was  to  complete  the  sa- 
cred canon,  and  afford  a  key  to  the  de- 
velopement  of  so  many  preceding  mys- 
teries, to  give  to  the  student  of  revela- 
tion an  inspired  exposition  of  this  re- 


markable symbol,  about  which  we  can 
no  longer  doubt,  when  we  hear  them 
ascribing  their  redemption  to  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb. 

It  may  go,  moreover,  to  remove  any 
lingering  hesitancy  on  this  point,  to 
consider  more  closely  their  relation  to 
the  other  parts  of  the  typical  apparatus 
of  the  Tabernacle.  They  were  an  abiding 
fixture  upon  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant ; 
they  were  stationed  upon  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  Mercy-seat  with  the  bright 
cloud  of  the  Presence  beaming  between 
them;  they  were  constructed  of  the 
same  material  with  the  Mercy-seat, 
and  in  every  thing  seemed  to  have  the 
most  indissoluble  connexion  with  the 
latent  import  of  this  system  of  shadows, 
of  which  Buxtorf  remarks  ;  '  It  is  the 
opinion  of  the  Jews,  that  the  Ark,  with 
the  Mercy-seat  and  the  Cherubim,  form 
the  foundation,  root,  heart,  and  marrov/ 
of  the  whole  Tabernacle,  and  so  of  the 
whole  Levitical  service.'  Now  we  are 
authorised  to  ask,  whether  it  be  conceiv- 
able that  angels  are  as  much  interested 
in  the  truth  and  substance  of  the  typical 
Mercy-seat  or  Propitiatory,  as  ransom- 
ed sinners,  whose  happiness,  and  song, 
and  salvation,  ail  centre  in  this  grand 
mystery?  We  would  detract  nothing 
from  what  is  justly  due  to  angels  ;  but 
we  see  not  why,  in  the  very  heart  of  a 
system  of  symbols  shadowing  forth  our 
recovery  by  a  Savior,  so  prominent  a 
place  should  be  given  to  the  hiero- 
glyphics  of  a  foreign  race  of  beings, 
however  deeply  they  may  be  interested 
in  contemplating  this  work,  or  service- 
able in  promoting  it.  Nothing  is  more 
plainly  taught  in  the  word  of  God,  than 
that  it  is  in  virtue  of  t'he  atoning  sacri- 
fice  of  Christ  that  the  Most  High  dwells 
amidst  the  children  of  men.  And  this 
great  truth  we  suppose  to  have  been 
visibly  represented  by  the  habitation  of 
the  Divine  Glory  between  the  Cherubim 
and  over  the  Expiation  cover  of  the  Ark. 
But  nothing  of  the  nature  of  an  atone- 
ment is  necessary  to  propitiate  the  pres- 


B.  C.  1491.1 


CHAPTER  .XXV. 


99 


ence  of  God  among  the  sinless  angels. 
Why  then  should  we  assign  to  them, 
however  much  we  love  them,  and  prize 
their  kind  offices,  a  symbol  so  pre- 
eminently appropriate  to  ourselves  ? 
Until  therefore  we  are  convinced  on 
solid  grounds  of  the  untenableness  of 
our  position,  and  pointed  to  some  pas- 
sage of  holy  writ  expressly  affirming 
or  clearly  implying,  that  the  Mosaic 
Cherubim  were  emblems  of  angels,  we 
shall  hold  them  to  be  representatives  of 
human  beings,  and  of  no  others. 

At  the  same  time  we  find  no  diffi- 
culty in  admitting,  in  perfect  consist- 
ency with  this  theory,  that  the  Cheru- 
bim were  popularly  regarded  by  the 
ancient  Jews,  as  they  still  are  by  modern 
Christians,  as  a  current  designation  of 
some  portion  at  least  of  the  angelic  or- 
der of  beings.  Nor  do  we  doubt  that 
Peter,  in  saying  that  the  things  of  re- 
demption were  things  '  which  the  an- 
gels desired  to  look  into,'  had  direct 
allusion  in  his  own  mind  to  the  position 
of  the  Cherubim  on  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant,  which  stood  as  if  intently 
poring  upon  the  mj'steries  couched  un- 
der both  it  and  the  surmounting  GlorJ^ 
Angels  usually  appeared  as  icinged 
messengers  ;  and  wings  were  a  striking 
appendage  of  the  Clierubim.  Angels 
too  were  always  considered  as  a  race 
of  beings  abiding  near  to  the  Divine 
Presence  in  heaven,  and  as  an  accom- 
paniment of  the  Shekinah,  whenever 
and  wherever  it  appeared  ;  the  Cheru- 
bim, also,  in  their  relation  to  the  Cloud 
of  Glory,  were  regarded  as  a  material- 
ized representation  of  this  great  fact, 
and  the  Holy  of  Holies  in  which  they 
stood  was  dimly  conceived  of  as  a  type 
of  heaven.  Under  these  circumstances 
it  was  natural  that  the  idea  of  angelic 
beings  should  attach  to  the  symbol, 
and  that  this  idea  should  be  tradition- 
ally perpetuated,  at  least  until  a  more 
rigid  research  into  the  nature  and  ge- 
nius of  the  symbolical  language  should 
bring  to  light  its  genuine  import.   That 


the  Cherubim  do  actually  in  their  true 
intent  represent  human  beings  instead 
of  angels,  is  a  conclusion  to  which  we 
seem  to  be  brouglit  irresistibly  by  the 
chain    of    scriptural   induction   in   the 
foregoing  remarks  ;    and   if  it  should 
still  remain  problematical  in  the  mind 
of  the  reader  on  what  grounds  a  device 
so  strikingly  angelic  should  have  been 
adopted  to  represent  a  human  reality, 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  suggest  that  the 
true  clue  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact,  that 
the   cherubic  symbol,   in  its    ultimate 
scope,  pointed  forward  to  that  condition 
of  regenerate,  redeemed,  risen,  and  glO' 
rifed  men,  when  they  shall  have  as- 
sumed an  angelic  nature.     Our  Savior 
declares  of  the  happy  sons  of  the  resur. 
rection  that   they  shall  neither  marry 
nor  be  given  in  marriage,  but  shall  be 
as  the  angels  of  God  in  heaven  ;  and 
when  John  fell  down  before  the  reveal- 
ing  angel  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  was 
about  to  worship  him,  he  was  met  by 
the  rebuke,  'See  that  thou  do  it  not; 
for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant,  and  of  thy 
brethren   the    propliets,   and    of   them 
which  keep  the  sayings  of  this  book.' 
Such,  we  doubt  not,  is  the  final  desti- 
nation  of  the  children  of  God  in  that 
future  economy  to  which  the  eye  of 
failh  looks  forward  ;  and  in  the  mean 
time,   if  the  visions    of   the  prophets 
should  portray  the  scenes  of  that  com-, 
ing  dispensa'ion,  where  the  actors  were 
to  be  truly  men  in  their  post-resurrec- 
tion natures,  how  should  such  actors  be 
symbolically  represented  but  by  angels? 
The  Cherubim  then  may  be  considered 
as  representatives  of  angels,  so  far  as 
angels  themselves  are  representatives 
of  men  ;  but,  in  our  opinion,  no  farther. 
If  then  our  main  position  in  regard  to 
the  representative  character  of  the  Che- 
rubim, may  be  considered  as  establish- 
ed, it  only  remains  to  make  use  of  this 
proof  by   way  of  explication  of   the 
strange,   anomalous,  and,  we  had   al- 
most said,  monstrous,  diversity  of  forms 
and   faces   of  which  the  symbol  was 


100 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


composed.  Were  the  Cherubim  men — 
men  standing  in  covenant  relation  with 
God — men  possessed  of  renewed  spirit- 
ual life,  and  thus  enjoying  the  divine 
favor — then  may  we  not  conclude,  that 
this  unique  combination  of  forms  repre- 
sents some  viarked  and  definable  attri- 
butes in  the  character  of  those  ichom 
the  symbol  adumbrates  ?  Whai  then  are 
the  distinguishing  traits  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  people  of  God,  which  may  be 
fitly  represented  by  emblems  so  unique  ? 
How  shall  the  hieroglyphic  be  read  ? 
The  face  of  the  Ox  reminds  us  of  the 
qualities  of  the  ox,  and  these,  it  is  well 
known,  are  patient  endurance,  unwea- 
ried service,  and  meek  submission  to 
the  yoke.  What  claims  has  he  to  the 
title  of  a  man  of  God  who  is  not  distin- 
guished by  these  ox-like  attributes? 
The  Lion  is  the  proper  symbol  of  un- 
daunted courage,  glowing  zeal,  triumph 
over  enemies,  united  with  innate  noble- 
ness, and  magnanimity  of  spirit.  The 
Man,  as  a  symbol,  we  may  well  con- 
ceive as  indicating  intelligence,  medi- 
tation, wisdom,  sympalh)'^,  philanthro- 
py, and  every  generous  and  tender  emo- 
tion. And,  finally,  in  the  Eagle  we  re- 
cognise the  impersonation  of  an  ac- 
tive, vigilant,  fervent,  soaring  spirit, 
prompting  the  readiest  and  swiftest 
execution  of  the  divine  commands,  and 
elevating  the  soul  to  the  things  that  are 
above. 

We  admit  the  affixing  of  these  inter- 
pretations to  be  in  a  great  measure  ar- 
bitrary, and  we  hope  they  may  be  re- 
jected or  improved  upon,  according  as 
the  evidenf  e  for  or  against  them  may 
weigh  in  t)  e  mind  of  the  reader.  They 
certainly  mean  something;  they  have 
not  been  adopted  without  wise  reasons  ; 
and  we  would  wish  to  fix  upon  such 
a  solution  as  shall  carry  with  it  the 
highest  intrinsic  probability.  In  the 
nature  of  the  case,  much  must  be  left  to 
the  private  judgment,  perhaps  we  might 
say  fancy,  of  expositors  in  tracing  anal- 
ogies and  assigning  meanings  to  sym- 


bols whicli  we  yet  know  in  the  main  to 
be  possessed  of  meaning. 

In  adverting,  however,  to  the  sym- 
bolical import  of  the  straight  for 
ward  motion  of  the  Cherubim,  we  have 
perhaps  a  more  explicit  warrant  of  the 
Scriptures  for  our  explication.  In 
speaking  of  this  peculiarity,  Ezelciel 
says,  'They  went  every  one  straight 
forward ;  whithersoever  the  spirit  was 
to  go,  they  went ;  they  turned  not  as 
they  went.'  Their  locomotive  progress 
was  directly  and  undeviatingly /orward. 
They  turned  neither  their  faces,  nor  their 
wings,  nor  their  bodies.  There  was  no 
digression,  regression,  wandering,  or  cir- 
cuitous wheeling  in  their  movements. 
In  the  direction  in  which  their  eyes  or 
faces  were  fixed,  their  progress  tended. 
Is  it  not  then  a  rational  supposition 
that  by  this  is  indicated  that  steady  and 
undeviating  course  of  obedience,  that 
determined  adherence  to  the  right  ways 
of  the  Lord,  from  which  the  faithful  are 
not  to  be  seduced  ?  Is  not  rectitude  the 
prevailing  tenor  oi"  a  good  man's  life, 
and  is  not  his  course  onward,  according 
to  the  Apostle's  motto,  'forgetting  the 
things  which  are  behind  and  reaching 
forth  unto  those  things  that  are  before, 
I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus.'  Again,  let  the  following  pas- 
sages be  noticed  in  this  connexion. 
Prov.  4.  25 — 27,  'Let  thine  eyes  look 
right  on,  and  let  thine  eyelids  look 
straight  before  thee.  Ponder  the  path 
of  thy  feet,  and  let  all  thy  ways  be 
established.  Turn  not  to  the  right 
hand  nor  to  the  left:  remove  thy  foot 
from  evil.'  Ps.  135.  5,  'As  for  such  as 
turn  aside  unto  their  crooked  ways,  the 
Lord  shall  lead  them  forth  with  the 
workers  of  iniquity.'  Heb.  12. 13,  'Make 
straight  paths  for  your  feet  lest  that 
which  is  lame  be  turned  out  of  the  way.' 
Thus  plainly  are  we  taught  the  teach- 
ing of  the  rectilinear  course  of  the  Che- 
rubim, i.  e.  of  the  people  of  God. 

Upon  the  various  other  items  of  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


101 


shalt  thou  make  them,  in  the  two 
ends  of  the  mercy-seat. 

19  And  make  one  cherub  on  the 
one  end,  and  the  other  cherub  on 
the  other  end :  even  of  the  mercy- 
seat  shall  ye  make  the  cherubims 
on  the  two  ends  thereof. 

prophet's  description  of  these  visionary 
creations,  it  will  scarcely  be  necessary 
in  this  connexion  to  enlarge.  Sufficient 
has  probably  been  said  to  establish  our 
main  position,  that  the  Cherubim  of  the 
Scriptures  are  a  symbol  of  holy  men, 
and  not,  primarily,  of  holy  angels.  The 
importance  of  this  clue  to  the  mystic 
device  will  be  obvious  to  every  reader, 
and  will  no  doubt  justify  the  adaptation 
of  our  figure  to  Ezekiel's  rather  than- 
to  Moses'  description.  We  could  not 
otherwise  so  well  have  expanded  our 
remarks  in  the  form  of  a  systematic 
inquiry  into  the  genuine  scope  and  de- 
sign of  this  extraordinary  symbol,  of 
v.'hich  Josephus  says,  'They  (the  Che- 
rubim) are  flying  creatures,  but  their 
form  is  not  like  to  that  of  any  of  the 
creatures  which  men  have  seen  ;  though 
Moses  said  he  had  seen  such  beings  near 
the  throne  of  God.'  The  field  of  in- 
vestigation, however,  in  reference  to 
this  sacred  hieroglyphic  is  but  just  en- 
tered, and  the  most  enriching  results 
still  await  the  future  explorer. — We 
now  return  to  the  material  construction 
of  these  mystic  appendages  of  the  Ark. 
Of  beaten  icork  shalt  thou  make  them. 
Heb.  tTID);D?3  mikshah,  hard  work  shalt 
thou  make  it.  Gr.  ypvaoTnpevra,  gold- 
en-turned-work. This  is  generally 
explained  as  importing,  that  the  Che- 
rubim were  to  be  beaten  out  with  the 
hammer  from  the  same  solid  mass  of 
gold  with  the  Mercy-seat,  but  no  such 
meaning  can  be  gathered  from  the  gen- 
uine sense  of  the  original.  The  term 
rili;p?2  mikshah,  from  ^I'l^'p  kashah,  to 
be  hard,  im)>lies  simply  that  the  ma- 
terials of  the  Propitiatory  and  the  Che- 
.rubim  were  to  be  of  solid  massive  gold 
9* 


20  And  o  the  cherubims  shall 
stretch  forth  their  wings  on  high, 
covering  the  mercy-seat  with  their 
wings,  and  their  faces  shall  look  one 
to  another  ;  toward  the  mercy-seat 
shall  the  faces  of  the  cherubims  be. 

o  1  Kin»s  8.  7.    1  Chron.  28. 18.    Hebr.  9.  5. 


in  contradistinction  from  being  hollow 
inside,  or  made  of  wood  overlaid  with 
gold.  Besides,  it  must  be  evident  to  the 
slightest  reflection  that  such  a  mode  of 
construction  is  utterly  beyond  the  art 
or  power  of  man  ;  it  must  have  been  no- 
thing short  of  a  miracle.  The  cherubic 
figures  were  doubtless  either  cast  in  a 
mould  or  sculptured  by  the  engraver's 
tool,  as  the  Greek  renders  the  word,  and 
then  permanently  attached  by  soldering 
to  either  extremity  of  the  Mercy-seat. 

19.  Of  the  mercy-seat  shall  ye  make 
the  cherubims,  &c.  A  marginal  read- 
ing, designed  to  be  explanatory  of  this, 
is  here  given,  which  rests  upon  no  suffi- 
cient authority,  viz.,  'of  the  matter  of 
the  Mercy-seat.'  The  meaning  is  sim- 
ply, that  when  finished  the  Cherubim 
should  be  seen  shooting  up  from  the  ends 
of  the  Mercy-seat,  not  that  they  should 
be  continuously  fabricated  out  of  the 
same  mass  by  a  process  of  beating, 
which  in  the  nature  of  the  case  was 
absolutely  impossible.  Of  this  any  man 
may  be  convinced  who  shall  take  the 
most  plastic  and  malleable  piece  of 
lead,  and,  with  no  other  instrument  than 
a  hammer,  endeavor  to  work  it  into  the 
shape  of  a  human  head  or  body,  or  that 
of  a  bird  or  beast,  much  more  into  the 
complex  configuration  of  the  cherub. 
The  common  interpretation  of  this  pas- 
sage respecting  the  formation  of  the 
mercy-seat  and  the  Cherubims  has  been 
derived  from  the  groundless  conceits 
and  puerile  glosses  of  the  Rabbinical 
critics,  who  wished  to  multiply  as  mnch 
as  possible  the  number  of  miracles  per- 
taining to  their  economy. 

.20.  Covering  the  mercy-scat  with  their 
l/'ing-t.      Gr.  avaKta  ^ovTEi   (v  raiq  ■kteov^ip 


102 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


21  p  And  thou  shalt  put  the  mercy- 
seat  above  upon  the  ark  ;  and  q  in 
the  ark  thou  shalt  put  the  testi- 
mony that  I  shall  give  thee. 

22  And  r  there  I  will  meet  with 
thee,  and  I  w^ill  commune  with 
thee  from  above  the  mercy-seat, 
from  s  between  the  two  cherubims 
which  are  upon  the  ark  of  the  tes- 
timony, of  all  things  which  I  will 
give  thee  in  commandment  unto 
the  children  of  Israel. 

23  ^  t  Thou  shalt  also  make  a  table 
of  shittim-wood  :  two  cubits  shall 
be  the  length  thereof,  and  a  cubit 

Pch.  26.34.  q  ver.  16.  r  ch.  29.  42,  43.  &  30. 
6.36.  Lev.  16.  2.  Numb.  17.  4.  «  Numb.  7. 
69.  ]  Sam.  4.4.  2  Sam.  6.  2.  2  Kings  19. 15. 
Ps.  SO.  1.  &  90.  1.  I.sai.  37.  16.  t  ch.  37.  10. 
1  Kings  7.  4S.    2  Chron.  4.  8.    Ilebr.  9.  2. 

avTOJv  ETTi  Tov  I'XacrTripiov  shadou'ing  over 
the  propitiatory  tvith  their  wings.  This 
word 'shadowing,'  instead  of  covering,' 
is  adopted  b}'^  the  apostle,  Heb.  9.  5, 
'Over  it  the  cherubims  of  glory  s/mdoii'- 
ing  the  mercy-seat ;'  where  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  the  plirase  'cherubims  of  glo- 
ry' might  perhaps  be  rendered  cherubims 
of  f/ie  glory;'  i.e.  the  glory  of  the  Sheki- 
nah,  the  luminous  splendid  appearance 
which  was  visibly  enthroned  between 
them,  the  mysterj'^or  substance  of  which 
is  disclosed  to  us  in  the  visions  of  the 
Apocalypse,  ch.  5,  where  we  learn  that 
the  symbol  of  the  divine  glory  dwelling 
between  the  Cherubim  was  the  hiero- 
glyphic of  the  So7i  of  God  dwellivg  in 
the  midst  of  his  redeemed  people,  re- 
ceiving their  adorations  and  bestowing 
upon  them  the  tokens  of  his  compla- 
cency.  IT  Shall  look  one  to  another. 

Heb.  T^ns^  t^  113'^!!^  ish  el  ahiv,  a  man 
to  his  brother;  a  common  Hebrew 
idiom  for  expressing  the  idea  of  our 
version. 

23.  There  I  will  meet  with  thee.  Heb. 
C'l:  ifi  "^m5>1D  ncadti  leka  shorn,  I  will 
convene  with  thee  there.  Gr.  yvi,^a9ri(Ti>- 
^lai  cot  iKEiOev^i  I  will  hc  knoirn  to  thee 
there.  Chal.  'I  will  appoint  my  Word  to 


the  breadth  thereof,  and  a  cubit 
and  a  half  the  height  thereof. 

24  And  thou  shalt  overlay  it  with 
pure  gold,  and  make  thereto  a 
crown  of  gold  round  about. 

25  And  thou  shalt  make  unto  it  a 
border  of  an  hand-breadth  round 
about,  and  thou  shalt  make  a  gold- 
en crown  to  the  border  thereof 
round  about. 

26  And  thou  shalt  make  for  it  four 
rings  of  gold,  and  put  the  rings  in 
the  four  corners  that  are  on  the 
four  feet  thereof 

27  Over  against  the  border  shall 
the  rings  be  for  places  of  the  staves 
to  bear  the  table. 

28  And  thou  shalt  make  the  staves 
'o/ shittim-wood,  and  overlay  them 

thee  there.'  That  is,on  the  mercy-seat, 
between  the  cherubim.  Here  the  vis- 
ible Glorj'^  of  Jehovah  was  to  reside  and 
to  give  audience,  as  a  sovereign  on  his 
throne,  having  the  ark  as  his  footstool, 
as  it  seems  to  be  termed,  Ps.  99.  5 — 
132.  7.  From  the  same  root  with 
'^rn^'13  ncadti,  viz.  TIP''  yliad,  to  meet 
by  appointment ,  comes  "TSJl/j  moad  ap- 
pointed meeting  or  convention,  whence 
the  Tabernacle  is  called  "i'S^'n  ^ui^ 
ohel  mead,  tabernacle  of  Convention. 
See  Note  on  Ex.  33.  7. 

THE  TABLE  OF  SHEW-BREAD. 

23 — ^28.  Thou  shalt  also  make  a  table, 
&c.  This  part  of  the  sacred  furniture 
keeps  up  still  farther  the  analogy  with  a 
royal  palace,  to  which  we  have  before 
adverted  as  pervading  the  entire  struc- 
ture of  the  Tabernacle.  Yet  a  purely 
spiritual  drift  is  at  the  same  time  suffi- 
ciently discernible  in  the  tj^pical  ali- 
ment witli  which  it  was  provided,  and 
which  pointed  to  the  nourishment  of 
the  soul,  and  not  of  the  body.  As  to 
the  table  itself,  it  was  constructed  of 
the  same  material  with  the  Ark,  viz. 
shittim-wood  overlaid  with  gold.  It 
was  also   furnished  with  rings  or  sta- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


103 


with  gold,  that  the  table  may  be 
borne  with  them. 
29  And   thou  shalt   make  "the 

u  ch.  37.  16.     Numb.  4.  7. 

pies,  through  which  were  passed  the 
staves  by  which  it  was  carried,  in  the 
same  way  as  the  Ark.  These  staves, 
however,  did  not  remain  in  the  rings 
when  at  rest,  like  those  of  the  Ark,  v. 
15,  but  were,  as  Josephus  informs  us, 
removed,  that  they  might  not  be  in  the 
way  of  the  priests  in  their  weekly  min- 
istrations at  the  table.  The  table  was 
inferior  to  the  Ark  in  breadth  by  half  a 
cubit ;  but  it  was  of  the  same  height, 
and  stood  lengthwise,  east  and  west,  at 
the  north  side  of  the  Holy  Place.  From 
the  obscurity  of  the  ancient  terms  there 
is  some  difficulty  in  determining  with 
precision  the  details  of  its  form  ;  but 
v/hat  we  seem  to  learn  from  the  text  is, 
that  the  platform  or  surface  of  the  table 
had  its  edges  faced  with  a  perpendicular 
border,  or  enclosure,  somewhat  resem- 
bling a  window-frame  before  it  is  in- 
serted into  the  wall  of  a  buildincr  or  the 


dishes  thereof,  and  spoons  thereof, 
and  covers  thereof,  and  bowls  there- 
of, to  cover  withal :  of  pure  gold 
shalt  thou  make  them. 

sashes  put  in.  This  border  was  to  be 
of  a  hand's  breadth  and  ornamented  on 
its  upper  and  lower  edge  with  a  beauti- 
ful golden  cornice  or  moulding,  whick 
is  here  also,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Ark, 
called  a  'crown.'  The  upper  rim  of  the 
border  rose  of  course  somewhat  above 
the  superficial  level  of  the  table,  and 
was  well  adapted  to  prevent  what  was 
deposited  thereon  from  falling  off.  The 
Table,  as  seen  in  the  Arch  of  Titus  at 
Rome,  on  which  the  spoils  of  the  Tem- 
ple are  represented,  shows  but  very- 
little  of  the  ornamental  work  described 
in  the  text ;  but  this,  it  is  supposed,  was 
not  the  Table  of  the  Tabernacle,  It  is 
generally  agreed  that  this  was  among 
the  spoils  carried  away  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and  that  when  the  Jews  were 
restored  to  their  own  land,  they  made 
a  new  Table.  The  view  given  in  the 
cut  is  deduced  from  the  text. 


Taei-e  of  Shew  Breaij. 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


30  And  thou  shall  set  upon  the  ta- 


29.  Dishes.  Heb.  mSp  ke-aroth, 
dishes,  or  chargers,  as  the  word  is 
translated  Num.  7.  13.  Gr.  rpv/SXia, 
plates  or  platters.,  on  which  it  is  sup- 
posed by  Sonne,  that  the  loaves  of  bread 
were  placed.  Others,  however,  assign 
different  uses  to  these  dishes.  It  is  a 
point  which  cannot  be  positively  deter- 
mined.  ^  Spoons.     Heb.  tlS^  kap- 

path,  more  properly  ciips  or  censers  of 
concave  form  like  spoons,  or  like  the 
hollow  of  the  hand,  which  is  the  primi- 
tive meaning  of  the  original  tp  kaph. 
They  were  for  holding  incense  (Num. 
7.  14),  which  it  is  evident  from  Lev.  24. 
7,  was  employed  in  conjunction  with 
the  holy  bread.  It  is  supposed  there 
were  two  of  them,  one  placed  on  each 

pile  of  loaves. 1[  Covers.  Heb.m^IJp 

kesoth;  probably  for  covering  both  the 
loaves  and  the  incense.  The  Gr.  ren- 
ders the  word  wherever  it   occurs  by 

cTTov^eta,  libation-vessels. IT   Bowls. 

Heb.  n'^p^)^  menakkiyoth.  Gr.  KvaOoi, 
wine-cups.  'For  though  we  do  not  read 
that  any  wine  was  set  upon  this  table, 
yet  as  libations  were  made  to  God  by 
pouring  out  wine  before  him  in  the 
Holy  Place,  there  is  nothing  improbable 
in  the  Jewish  tradition,  that  a  bowl  of 
excellent  wine  was  always  kept  upon 
the  table  ;  and  that  once  a  week,  when 
the  bread  was  changed,  the  contents 
were  poured  out  as  a  libation  before  the 
Lord.  Josephus  confirms  this  tradition 
by  relating  that  when  Pompey  went 
into  the  Holy  Place,  he  saw  there  cups 
for  libation  among  the  sacred  vessels.' 
Pict.  Bible. — ^-fT  To  cover  tcitltal.  Heb. 
ins  'ID'^  iTZJii  asher  yussak  bahiin, 
with  which  it  was  poured  ont ;  with 
which  the  drink-offerings  were  made. 
This  sense  agrees  better  with  the  mean- 
ing of  the  original  'ICS  nasak,  and  with 
the  probable  uses  of  the  'bowls.'  There 
is  no  sufficient  authority  for  rendering 
the  original  by  'cover.' 


ble  w  shew-bread  before  me  alway. 

>'  Lev.  24.  5,  6. 

30.  Show-bread.  Heb.  tj'^:»:  tn^  le- 
hem  panim,  bread  effaces,  or  '  bread  of 
presence  (presence  bread).'  This  title 
is  usually  supposed  to  be  derived  from 
its  being  continually  set  before  the /ac« 
or  presence  of  God,  as  manifested  in  his 
visible  symbol  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
that  too  although  they  were  deposited 
in  the  Holy,  and  not  in  the  Most  Holy 
place.  But  the  true  grounds  of  the  ap- 
pellation will  be  fully  considered  in  the 
sequel.  The  Gr.  of  the  Sept.  renders  it 
by  apTovs  tvuntovi,  fore-placed  loaves, 

and  that  of  Sym.   aprovs    rrn    irpoOeaEcos^ 

loaves  of  proposition,  which  is  the  con- 
stant reading  of  Jerome  in  the  Latin 
Vulgate.  Twelve  cakes  or  loaves  of 
this  bread  answering  to  the  twelve 
tribes,  were  set  upon  the  table  in  two 
separate  rows  of  six  each,  which  were 
renewed  every  sabbath  ;  when  the  old 
were  taken  away  and  eaten  by  the 
priests.  This  is  not  particularly  men- 
tioned in  the  present  text,  supplement- 
ary to  which  is  the  information  more 
expressly  given,  Lev.  24.  5 — 9,  'And 
thou  slialt  take  fine  flour,  and  bake 
twelve  cakes  thereof:  two  tenth-deals 
shall  be  in  one  cake.  And  thou  shall 
set  them  in  two  rows,  six  on  a  row,  up- 
on the  pure  table  before  the  Lord.  And 
thou  shall  put  pure  frankincense  upon 
each  row,  that  it  may  be  on  the  bread 
for  a  memorial,  even  an  offering  made 
by  fire  unto  the  Lord.  Every  sabbath 
he  shall  set  it  in  order  before  the  Lord 
continually,  being  taken  from  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  by  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant. And  it  shall  be  Aaron's  and  his 
sons' ;  and  they  shall  eat  it  in  the  holy 
place  ;  for  it  is  most  holy  unto  him  of 
the  offerings  of  the  Lord  made  by  fire 
by  a  perpetual  statute.' 

Of  the  spiritual  or  typical  design  of 
this  part  of  the  apparatus  of  the  Taber- 
nacle,  we  cannot  speak  with  much  con- 
fidence, because  we  consider  the   Ail! 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


10/ 


realization  of  its    import,  like   most 
other  things  pertaining  to  the  Taber- 
nacle  and   Temple,   to   be  yet   future. 
They  look  forward,  as  we  conceive,  to 
that  final  earthly  consummation  of  the 
Gospel  economy  which  is  announced  in 
the  predictions  of  Scripture  under  the 
title  of  the  New  Jerusalem.    This  state, 
we  consider  as  one  in  which  the  terres- 
trial and  the  celestial  are  to  be  merged 
together  in  a  manner  which  we  cannot 
at  present  adequately  understand.     It 
is    only,   therefore,    by  studying    pro- 
foundly what  is  vaguely  and  mystically 
intimated  of  that  coming  glorious  dis- 
pensation,   that  we    can  attach    their 
proper  significancy  to  the  various  sym- 
bols of  the  Mosaic  economy.    It  is  a 
period  when  Christ's  kingdom  is  to  be 
fully  manifested,  and  he  himself  says, 
Luke  22.  30,  that  he  has  a  table  in  his 
kingdom,  at  which  all  his  saints  shall 
for  ever  eat  and  drink  with  him.    He 
will  then  sup  with  them  and  they  with 
him,  and  they  shall  be  abundantly  satis- 
fied with  the  goodness  of  the  Lord's 
house.    As  to  any  more  distinct  appli- 
cation of  these  emblems  to  the  particu- 
lar features,  institutions,  or  ordinances, 
of  the  present  Gospel  economy,  which 
may  seem  to  afford  their  counterparts, 
we  are  not  disposed  to  object  to  it,  or 
deny  that  it  may  be  well  founded,  but 
for  the  full  and  complete  substantiation 
of  the  Mosaic  shadows  we  look  to  the 
future. 

But  w'e  will  enter  into  a  little  fuller 
examination  of  the  subject,  and  in  order 
to  give  as  much  precision  as  possible  to 
our  inquiries,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
weigh  with  the  utmost  practical  accu- 
racy the  import  of  the  title  t^OSH  CHp 
lehem  happanim,  the  bread  of  the  face 
or  presence.  This,  as  intimated  above, 
is  usually  understood  as  equivalent  to  the 
bread  set  before  God^sface.  But  whether 
this  was  mainly  with  the  ideal  purpose 
of  being  seen  by  God,  i.e.  the  Shekinah, 
dwelling  in  the  holy  of  holies,  or  by 
men,  is  not  entirely  obvious.    Accord- 


ing to  the  first  supposition,  it  would  be 
viewed  either  merely  as  a  kind  of  af- 
fering  presented  in  token  of  gratitude 
for  the  daily  bread  by  which  life  is  sus 
tained,  and  upon  which  Jehovah  might 
be  considered  as  looking  down  from  his 
throne  on  the  mercy-seat  with  special 
complacency ;   or   as  directly  the   ap 
parent   food   of  God   himself  regarded 
as  theocratic  king  of  Israel,  having  his 
abode  in  a  palace  richly  furnished  with 
all  the  common  necessaries  and  com- 
forts of  life.    According  to  the  second 
hypothesis,  the  Shew-bread  was  some- 
thing which  was  to  be  viewed  by  the 
people  as  a  sign  of  the  divine  care  and 
providence  in  their  behalf,  intended  to 
awaken  a  thankful  recollection  of  the 
source  from  whence  flowed    the  daily 
bread  which  went  to  the  sustentation  of 
their  natural  life.    This   is  the  view 
taken  by  Lightfoot  and  Carpzov.    But 
to  this  whole  mode  of  exposition  it  is 
justly  objected,  that  tliere  is  no  suffi- 
cient authority  for  ascribing  to  C^ZSH 
happanim  when  standing  alone  the  sense 
of  before  or  in  the  sight  or  presence  of 
any  thing,  as  if  it  were  equivalent  to 
mrr^  ^2 si  dnb  lehem  UphnU  Yehovah, 
bread  before  the  Lord.     It  will  be  ob- 
served that  the  original  in  the  passage 
before  is,  '  and  thou  shalt  set  upon  the 
table  'i^Si  'Q^j'D  tH^D  lehem  panim  liph- 
nai,  bread  of  face  before  me  alway.' 
Here  then  as  that  which  the  interpre- 
tation we  are  considering  understands 
by  tj'^wSD  panim,  face  or  presence,  is 
actually  expressed  by  ^i^iJ^  liphnai,  be- 
fore me,  it  follows  that  D'^^iJ  panim 
must  necessarily  convey  some    other 
idea  than  merelj^  that  of  proposition  or 
setting  before.     The  same  consequence 
follows  also  I'rom  the  denomination  of 
the  Table.  Num.  4.  7,  viz.,  Q'^jl:!!  "p^'O 
shilhan  happanim,  table  of  face  or  pres- 
ence.    If  this  article  were  called  the 
table  of  the  presence,  simply  from  its 
position,  what  reason  can  be  assigned 
why  the  Candlestick,  and  more  espe- 
cially the  Altar  of  Incense  which  stood 


106 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


between  the  Table  and  the  Candlestick 
and  still  more  directly  in  front  of  the 
throne  than  either,  should  not  equally  be 
distinguished  by  the  same  epithet  ?  Yet 
we  nowhere  find  them  so  denominated, 
though  it  is  said  of  the  Altar,  Lev.  16.  IS, 
nin">  ^;5^  'T'^"!^  asherliphn'd  Yehovah, 
which  is  before  the  Lord;  from  which  it 
appears  how  the  original  expresses  it- 
self, when  it  would  convey  the  idea  so 
erroneously  attributed  to  C^^Sfl  hap- 
panim. 

On  the  same  grounds,  we  are  con- 
strained to  reject  the  idea  of  the  Shew- 
bread's  being  intended  as  an  oflering 
and  sign  of  national  thankfulness  for  na- 
tional favors.  For  if  it  received  on  this 
account  the  predicate  fi'i^Sfi,  the  ques- 
tion immediately  occurs,  as  before,  why 
this  predicate  is  applied  to  the  Table 
and  not  to  the  Altar  of  Incense,  which 
no  less  than  the  Table  stood  before  the 
Lord  in  the  holy  place  ?  And  as  to  its 
serving  as  a  visible  remembrancer  of  the 
divine  providence  towards  the  chosen 
people,  how  is  this  consistent  with  the 
circumstance  of  its  being  placed  in  the 
sacred  apartment,  entirely  hidden  from 
public  view,  and  visible  only  to  the 
priests  in  the  discharge  of  their  offices  ? 
How  could  that  be  a  visible  sign  wliich 
was  not  seen  ?  And  why  should  that 
bread  which,  from  its  symbolic  rela- 
tions, might  be  readily  presumed  to 
point  forward  to  a  future  spiritual  sus- 
tenance, be  understood  as  emblematic 
of  a  present  physical  aliment  daily  sup- 
plied by  a  bounteous  providence  ? 

We  are  thrown  then  upon  another  in- 
terpretation of  the  phrase  before  us,  and 
though  the  idea  which  we  suppose  to 
be  conveyed  by  it  is  somewhat  complex, 
yet  we  flatter  ourselves  with  being  able 
to  make  it  intelligible.  It  is  clear  that 
the  expression  in  the  original  C^^iD  tfl^ 
lehem  panim.,  bread  of  the  presence,  is 
strikingly  analogous  with  fi'i^S  1^^!^ 
malak  panim,  angel  of  the  presence.  Is. 
63.  9,  'In  all  their  affliction  he  was  af- 
flicted, and  the  angel  of  his  presence 


(l^^iD  "]i<^J2)  saved  them,'  &c.  So  also 
Ex.  33.  14,  15,  'And  he  said.  My  pres- 
ence (IDS  panai)  shall  go  with  thee, 
and  I  will  give  thee  rest.  And  he  said 
unto  him,  if  thy  presence  (T^55  panl'ka) 
go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up  hence.' 
Compare  with  this  Dent.  4.  37,  'And  be- 
cause he  loved  thy  fathers,  therefore  he 
chose  their  seed  after  them,  and  brought 
thee  out  in  his  sight  (T^Dti  bepanav, 
with,  by,  or  through  his  presence;  i.  e. 
the  angel  of  his  presence),  with  his 
mighty  power  out  of  Egypt.'  But  the 
Angel  of  the  divine  Face  or  Presence, 
of  whom  God  says,  '  my  name  is  in 
him,'  we  have  before  shown  to  be  no 
other  than  the  Shekinah  or  the  visible 
manifestation  of  Jehovah,  as  he  was 
anciently  pleased  to  make  himself 
known  to  his  people.  His  essential  be- 
ing will  no  doubt  for  ever  reniain  in- 
scrutable to  created  intelligences.  If 
he  reveals  himself  it  must  be  through 
some  medium  which  will  bring  him 
measurably  within  the  comprehension 
of  his  creatures.  This  medium  he  de- 
nominates his  face  or  presence;  and  as 
the  human  face  is  the  principal  means 
of  revealing  the  inward  being  and  cha- 
racter of  a  man,  so  the  Shekmah  is 
called  the  face  of  God,  inasmuch  as  it 
is  through  this  medium  that  the  Divinity 
comes  within  the  sphere  of  human  cog- 
nition. Now  let  it  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  Shekinah,  i.  e.  the  Angel  of 
the  Presence,  is  but  the  Old  Testament 
designation  of  Christ,  and  the  phrase 
u'^2'D  Cn^  lehem  panim,  bread  of  the 
preseyice,  is  brought  into  immediate 
identity  of  import  with  bread  of  Christ, 
who  was  the  true  presence  indicated  by 
the  term.  But  what  is  the  bread  of  Christ 
but  that  divine  spiritual  sustenance 
which  maintains  the  inner,  higlier,  and 
eternal  life  of  his  believing  followers? 
In  order  then  to  gain  a  full  apprehen- 
sion of  the  purport  of  the  Table  of 
Shew-bread  and  its  mystic  loaves,  we 
must  have  recourse  to  such  passages  ae 
the  following;  John,  6.  33—58,  'Then 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


107 


31  H  s  And  thou  shall  make  a  can- 

X  ch.  37.  17.     1  Kings,  7.  49.     Zecli.  4    2. 
Hebr.  9.  2.     Rev.  1.  12.  &  4.  5. 

Jesus  said  unto  ihem,  Verilj',  verily,  I 
say  unto  j'ou,  Moses  gave  you  not  tliat 
bread  from  heaven ;  but  my  Father  giv- 
elh  you  the  true  bread  from  heaven.  For 
the  bread  of  God  is  he  which  cometh 
down  from  heaven,  and  giveth  Hfe  unto 
the  world.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  He  that  believeth  on  me  hath  ever- 
lasting life.  I  am  that  bread  of  life. 
Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  are  dead.  This  is  the 
bread  which  cometh  down  from  heaven, 
tliat  a  man  may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die. 
I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down 
from  heaven:  if  any  man  eat  of  this 
bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever :  and  the 
bread  that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which 
I  will  give  for  the  life  of  tlie  world. 
The  Jews  therefore  strove  among  them- 
selves, saying.  How  can  this  man  give 
us  his  flesh  to  eat?  Then  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  Verily,  veril}',  I  say  unto 
you,  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son 
of  man,  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no 
life  in  you.  Whoso  eateth  my  flesh, 
and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal 
life  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last 
day.  For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and 
my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that  eat- 
eth my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  him.  As  the 
living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  I  live 
by  the  Father:  so  he  that  eateth  me, 
even  he  shall  live  by  me.  This  is  that 
bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  : 
not  as  your  fathers  did  eat  manna,  and 
are  dead :  he  that  eateth  of  this  bread 
shall  live  for  ever.' 

Now  it  is  well  known  that  this  is  the 
great  evangelical  truth  which  is  signi- 
ficantly sliadowed  forth  in  the  sacra- 
mental bread  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the 
lively  emblem  of  that  spiritual  aliment 
which  he  gives  to  his  faithful  household. 
The  mystery  of  the  Table  of  Sheiv-bread 
is  substantially  the  same  with  that  of  the 
y^b/c  spread  with  the  emblems  of  the 


dlestick  of  pure  gold  :    of  beaten 
work  shall  the  candlestick  be  made: 


Lord^s  body  and  blood.  It  was  a  sensi- 
ble and  lively,  tliough  still  inadequate 
'shew'  of  the  nourishment  of  that  holy, 
hidden,  spiritual  life  which  is  to  be  con- 
summated in  that  coming  world  of  glo- 
ry, where  the  face  of  God  will  be  re- 
vealed without  a  cloud,  in  joyful  fore^ 
sight  of  which  the  Psalmist  exclaims 
Ps.  17.  15,  'As  for  me,  I  shall  behold 
thy  face  in  righteousness ;  I  shall  be 
satisfied,  when  I  awake  with  thy  like- 
ness,'— a  plain  allusion  to  the  beatific 
vision  in  heaven.  Then  shall  his  serv- 
ants '  see  his  face,'  and  because  they 
shall  '  see  him  as  he  is,'  therefore  shall 
they  'be  like  him.'  'In  his  presence  is 
fullness  of  joy,  and  at  his  right  hand 
are  pleasures  for  evermore.'  This  rav- 
ishing and  transforming  view  of  the 
glorious  presence  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
an  eternal  feast  to  the  blessed  behold- 
ers, and  it  is  doubtless  from  the  inti- 
mate ideal  relation  between  this  seeing 
and  eating  that  the  bread  of  the  Taber- 
nacle is  called  the  bread  of  the  face  or 
presence.  The  whole  points  directly  to 
Christ,  and  is  fulfilled  only  in  him  when 
he  shall  come  the  second  time  without 
sin  unto  salvation,  shedding  the  light 
of  his  countenance  in  one  endless  and 
soul-satisfying  blaze  upon  his  redeemed 
ones.  Their  vision  shall  be  eternal 
fruition.  Thus  we  have  obtained  a 
view  of  the  subject  which  shows  the  in- 
timate connexion  of  the  ideas  of 'Bread' 
and  'Face'  or  'Presence,'  and  with  how 
much  propriety  the  adjunct  Q13&  panim 
is  applied  to  the  Tabernacle-table,  while 
it  is  withheld  from  any  other  article  of 
the  sacred  furniture. 

THE   CAKDLESTICK. 

31.  Thou  shall  make  a  candlestick. 
Heb.  Vil'212  mcnorath,  a  candelabrum^ 
a  lamp-bearer.  As  'candlestick'  with 
us  imports  but  a  single  upright  shaft, 
the  term  fails  to  give  us  an  idea  at  all 


108 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


adequate   of   the   construction   of  this 
article  of  the  Tabernacle  furniture.     It 
consisted    of  a    base   or    shaft,    with 
seven  branches,  three  on  each  side,  and 
one  in  the  middle.  These  branches  were 
all  parallel  to  one  another,  and   were 
worked  out  in   bowls,  knobs  (knops), 
end     flowers,    placed    alternately,    of 
Avhich  we    shall  shortly  give   a  more 
particular  description.    On  the  extrem- 
ity of  each  branch  was  a  golden  lamp, 
whose  light  was  supplied  by  pure  olive 
oil,  prepared    in    a    peculiar   way,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  Note  on  Ex.  27.  20. 
This  Candlestick,  which  is  affirmed  by 
Josephus  to  have  been  hollow  within, 
was  wholly  of  pure  gold,  and  weighed 
a  talent  (about  125 lbs.),  although  no- 
thing is  said  of  its  height,  thickness, 
or    any    of  its   dimensions.       Nor    is 
mention  made  of  any  kind  of  foot  or 
pediment   on  which   it   rested,  though 
we  cannot  doubt  that  it  had  one.     The 
Jewish  writers  suppose  tliat  its  height 
was  about  double  that  of  tlie  Table  of 
Shew-bread  and  of  the  Altar  of  Incense, 
which  would  give  it  a  very  majestic  ap- 
pearance, and  probably  require  a  stool 
for  lighting  and  trimming  it,  while  at 
the  same  time  it  was  not  so  much  raised 
as  to  endanger  the  curtain-roof  of  the 
Tabernacle.   It  was  placed  on  the  south 
or  left  hand  side  of  the  holy  place,  as 
one  entered,  the  row  of  lamps  being 
probably  parallel  with  the  wall,  though 
Lightfoot  thinks    that    that  described. 
Rev.  1.  12,  13,  was  perpendicular  to  it. 
It  is  a  point,  however,  which  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  determine,  and  about  which  the 
Pvabbinical  writers  are  not  agreed.   The 
oil  for  the  seven  lamps  was  to  be  sup- 
plied in  such  quantities  as  to  keep  them 
alwaj^s  burning.     It  is  indeed  imagined 
by  some  expositors  that  they  did  not 
perpetually  burn,  but  were  lighted  every 
evening  and  went  out  one  after  another 
in  the  morning,  an  opinion  which  is  no 
doubt  favored  at  first  view  by  several 
passages  in  the  sacred  writers.     Thus 
for  instance  in  1  Sam.  3. 3,  mention  is 


made  of  the  lamp  of  God  going  out  in 
the  Temple  ;  and  in  2  Chron.  13.  II,  we 
read  of  '  setting  in  order  the  candle- 
stick of  gold  with  the  lamps  thereof,  to 
bur7i  every  evening.'  So  also  in  Ex.  30. 
7,  8,  it  is  mentioned  as  the  duty  of  the 
priest  to  '  dress'  the  lamps  ever)''  morr>' 
ing,  and  to  '  light'  them  every  evening 
But  then  on  the  other  hand  in  the  paralle 
text.  Lev.  24.  2,  it  is  said  that  the  lamps 
were  to  burn  continually,  and  though 
this  term  is  not  in  itself  absolutely  de- 
cisive of  tlie  fact,  as  continually  is  often 
used  in  the  sense  of  regularly,  statedly, 
yet  when  we  add  the  authority  of  Jose- 
phus, who  was  himself  a  priest,  and 
not  likely  to  be  ignorant  on  this  sub- 
ject, it  would  seem  to  put  the  matter 
beyond  question.  He  says  expressly 
that  tlie  lamps  continued  to  burn  day 
and  night.  And  there  would  seem  in 
fact  to  have  been  a  necessity  for  this, 
unless  the  priests  ministered  in  the 
dark  ;  for  as  there  were  no  windows  in 
the  Tabernacle,  light  could  only  be  ad- 
mitted through  the  curtained  entrance 
at  the  east  or  unboarded  end ;  and  un- 
less that  entrance  were  left  open,  which 
we  do  not  learn  that  it  was,  the  holy 
place  might  have  been  so  dark  as  to 
render  artificial  light  not  less  requisite 
by  day  than  by  night.  At  any  rate,  it 
is  obvious  that  the  most  holy  place, 
where  the  Ark  lay,  was  entirely  de- 
pendent for  light,  when  it  had  any,  up- 
on the  lamps  of  the  golden  Candlestick. 
This  fact  explains  another  allusion  in 
reference  to  the  heavenly  city  in  the 
Apocalypse,  the  connexion  of  which 
with  the  holy  of  holies  we  have  en- 
deavored to  show  en  a  preceding  page. 
In  Rev.  22.  5,  it  is  said,  'And  there 
shall  be  no  night  there  ;  and  they  need 
no  candle,  neither  light  of  the  sun  ;  for 
the  Lord  God  giveth  them  light.'  In 
this  respect  the  substance  differed  from 
the  shadow.  The  typical  heaven  need- 
ed the  artificial  light  of  the  lamps  of 
the  Candlestick ;  the  anti-typical  did 
not.    'The  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.' 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXV, 


109 


his   shaft,  and  his   branches,   his 


Having  thus  given  a  general  view  of  the 
plan  and  uses  of  the  golden  Candlestick, 
v.'e  enter  upon  the  more  minute  descrip- 
tion of  its  individual  parts. 

Of  beaten  work.  Heb.  uiIJpl'Q  mik- 
shah,  of  hard  or  solid  workj  i.  e.  made 
of  the  solid  material,  having  no  wood- 
work about  it,  though  Josephus  repre- 
sents it  as  being  hollow.  Our  present 
rendering  '  beaten  work'  is  peculiarly- 
unfortunate,  as  it  leads  the  reader  to 
suppose  that  several  of  the  most  ex- 
quisite fabrics  of  the  Tabernacle  were 
wrought  out  by  a  process  of  '  beating' 
with  a  hammer,  than  which  nothing,  we 
conceive,  can  be  farther  from  the  fact,  as 
they  were  undoubtedly  cast  in  moulds. 
So  far  as  the  present  term  is  concerned, 
which  is  used  several  times  in  the  narra- 
tive, it  is  designed  to  acquaint  us  solely 
with  the  character  of  the  material,  and 
not  with  the  process  of  formation.  See 
the  remarks  above  on  the  use  of  the 
term,  v.  18,  in  reference  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Cherubim. IT  His  shaft. 

Heb.  ni^'^  yerekah,  her  shaft-  and  so 
in  all  the  following  terms,  H^p  kanah, 
her  branches,  &c.,  instead  of  '  his.'  The 
original  term  "IT^  yerek,  properly  sig- 
nifies a  thigh,  but  here  is  understood  by 
the  Rabbins  of  the  base  or  thick  lover 
part  on  which  the  main  branch  (fljp) 
rested  and  from  which  it  rose.  We 
suppose,  therefore,  the  term  'I'T^  yerek 
to  have  been  applied  to  that  thick  and 
massive  portion  of  the  stock  which  ex- 
tended upwards  from  the  foot  or  bot- 
tom to  the  point  where  the  lowermost 

pair  of  branches   separated. ir  His 

branches.  Heb.  ujp  kanah,  her  branch. 
The  word  properly  signifies  a  reed  or 
cane,  which  each  of  the  branches  prob- 
ably somewhat  resembled ;  indeed  no- 
thing is  more  remarkable,  as  we  shall 
soon  see,  throughout  this  description  of 
the  Candlestick,  than  the  employment 
of  terms  evidently  drawn  from  the  dis- 
Voi,.  11.  10 


bowls,  his  knops,  his  flowers,  shall 
be  of  the  same. 

tinguishing  parts  of  plants  and  trees, 
indicating  a  striking  affinity  in  its  struc- 
ture, with  the  forms  of  the  vegetable 
world.  The  reason  of  this  singular  fact 
we  shall  hope  to  elucidate  in  our  re- 
marks on  the  typical  import  of  the 
Candlestick.  In  the  present  case  the 
original  term,  though  singular  in  form, 
has  really  a  plural  import,  being  in- 
tended to  denote  all  the  branches  col- 
lectively, as  appears  from  the  next 
verse,  and  from  the  Greek  rendering 
KuXaniaxoi,  little  reeds  or  canes.  Of 
these  the  middle  one,  constituting  the 
main  trunk  of  it,  was  of  course  the  most 
important.  And  hence  in  v.  33,  34,  and 
Chron.  3.  20,  it  is  actually  called  by  the 
name  (niD?D  menorah)  of  the  whole 
Candlestick.  It  is  not  indeed  expressly 
so  distinguished  in  the  present  text,  and 
the  reason  we  suppose  to  be,  that  all 
the  lower  part  of  the  stock  or  trunk  up 
to  the  point  where  the  different  arms 
branched  off,  three  on  either  side,  was 
called  ^Cy^  yerek,  or  thigh.  Of  the 
thickness  of  the  central  or  the  side 
branches  we  have  no  intimation,  but 
Jarchi  and  Abenezra  agree  with  Jose, 
phus,   who  denominates  them  Xi>Troti?, 

slender. IT  His  bowls.    Heb.  55'>n3 

gebia,  calyx  or  cup;  so  called  from  its 
resemblance  to  that  part  of  the  plant 
from  which  the  flower  springs.  The 
Gr.  however  has  vpai-r/prj,  bowls,  and 
the  Vulg.  scyphos,  cups,  from  which  the 
English  rendering  has  .flowed.  The 
appendages  here  called  'bowls,'  'knops,' 
and  '  flowers,'  were  mere  ornamental 
devices,  intended,  it  would  seem,  to 
give  to  each  of  the  branches  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  succession  of  fruits  and 
flowers.  As  to  the  form  of  the  *  bowls,' 
it  is  clear  from  v.  33,  that  they  had 
some  relation  to  the  "'almond,'  but  in 
what  respect,  it  is  not  easy  to  deter- 
mine. The  phrase  in  the  original  is 
^--IpIL';^  t-'^5'*33  gebiim  meshukkadim. 


110 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


which  is  to  be  literally  rendered  cvjjs 
made  or  figured  almond-wise,  by  which 
perhaps  is  to  be  understood  nothing 
more  than  that  this  calyx-shaped  orna- 
ment was  to  be  fashioned  in  imitation 
of  the  calyx  of  the  almond,  rather  than 
of  any  other  plant.  The  expression  is 
less  likely  to  have  denoted  the  fiower 
of  the  almond,  because  the  flower- work 
is  denoted  by  another  term,  and  because 
the  term  '  almond-wise'  is  in  some  way 
inseparably  connected  with  the  orig- 
inal for  cups  or  bowls,  as  if  to  indicate 
their  form.  For  this  purpose  the  calyx 
would  be  much  more  suitable  than 
the  corolla.  But  it  may  be  asked 
whether  the  bowls  were  not  shaped 
like  the  fruit  or  nut  of  the  almond,  the 
shell  of  which  when  divided  into  its 
halves  presents  the  appearance  of  small 
scolloped  vessels  like  our  spoons.     To 


this  we  can  only  say,  that  if  such  ap- 
pendages were  intended  as  containing 
vessels,  they  would  not  only  be  useless 
in  the  place  which  they  occupied, — for 
what  were  they  to  hold?  —  but  would 
be  very  unsightly  and  out  of  keeping  as 
ornaments.  If,  moreover,  they  were  in- 
tended to  represent  the  fruit  of  the  al- 
mond, then  besides  the  intrinsic  inap- 
propriateness  of  the  term,  they  would 
trench  upon  what  we  suppose  to  have 
been  the  design  of  the  '  knops,'  which 
is  soon  to  be  explained.  On  the  whole, 
therefore,  we  seem  to  be  shut  up  to 
the  conclusion  stated  above,  that  the 
'  bowls'  were  exquisitely  wrought  orna- 
ments in  the  shape  of  the  calyx  of  the 
almond  flower;  and  the  annexed  cut  of 
the  blossoms,  flowers,  and  fruit  of  this 
plant  may  essentially  aid  our  concep- 
tion of  this  part  of  the  workmanship. 


The  Almond. 


His  knops.  Heb.  tD'^l^iij^D  kaph- 
torim.  Gr.  aipaipcomptg,  spheres.  Vulg. 
tphcBTulaSj  little  spheres.  The  term  here 
employed  receives  but  little  light  from 


biblical  usage.  It  is  only  in  Amos, 
9.  1,  and  Zoph.2.  14,  that  ^r&lD  kaph- 
tor,  occurs,  in  the  first  of  which  it  is 
rendered  'door'  and  in  the  other  *Jin 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


ill 


tel,'  and  doubtless  erroneously  in  Ijolli. 
It  is  probably  to  be  understood  in  each 
case  of  some  round  moulding^  rows  of 
knobs,  or  other  architectural  ornaments 
of  spherical  form  about  the  heads  of 
pillars.  The  Rabbins  with  somewhat 
remarkable  unanimity  interpret  it  here 
by  *  apple,'  and  Josephus  expressly 
likens  it  to  the  '  pomegranate'  (granate- 
apple),  of  which  a  cut  and  a  full  ac- 
count is  given  hereafter  ;  and  we  learn 
from  1  Kings,  7. 18,  that  the  chapiters 
of  the  pillars  in  Solomon's  Temple  were 
adorned  with  pomegranates.  Maimon- 
ides  says,  'The  kaphtor  had  the  figure 
of  a  little  globe,  yet  not  exactly  round, 
but  somewhat  oblong,  like  an  egg.'  He 
does  not,  however,  it  will  be  observed, 
recognise  any  allusion  to  the  form  of 
the  pomegranate,  and  as  the  proper 
Hebrew  for  pomegranate  is  not  "iriSi 
kaphtor,  but  '^ll'Ql  rimmon,  we  incline 
to  think  that  the  shelled  fruit  of  the 
almond  itself  is  intended,  which  the 
reader  will  perceive  bears  a  striking  re- 
semblance to  the  form  of  an  egg,  and 
was  well  calculated  for  a  decoration  of 
such  a  fabric  as  the  Candlestick.  We 
understand  then  by  the  term  in  this  con- 
nexion those  rounded  spherical  swells 
or  knobs  occurring  alternately  with  the 
calyxes  and  flowers,  along  the  length 
of  the  several  branches,  and  which 
were  expressly  intended  to  represent 
some  kind  of  fruit;  and  that  fruit, 
if  we  rightly  conceive  of  the  mat- 
ter, was   the  nut  of  the  afmond. 

IT  His  floivers.  Heb.  IT^n^Si  perahe- 
hah.  Gr.  Koiva,  lillies.  Vulg. /iVia;  and 
so  also  Maimonides  and  Josephus.  But 
the  word  in  the  original  is  the  general 
word  for  flowers,  or  rather  for  the  blos- 
soms of  trees;  and  we  have  nothing  to 
guide  us,  in  fixing  upon  any  particular 
species.  Yet  as  the  other  connected 
terms  have  a  dominant  reference  to  the 
almond  tree,  we  seem  to  discover  an 
intrinsic  probability  that  the  allusion  is 
the  same  in  the  case  before  us ;  and 
this  suggestion  receives  perhaps  an  in- 


direct  support  from  what  is  said  Num. 
17.  8,  of  the  budding  and  blossoming 
of  Aaron's  rod  j  'And  it  came  to  pass 
on  the  morrow  Moses  went  into  the 
tabernacle  of  witness  ;  and,  behold,  the 
rod  of  Aaron  for  the  house  of  Levi  was 
budded  (rT^iS  parah),  and  brought  forth 
buds  (rr^iD  i^'2''  yotze  perah),  and 
bloomed  blossoms,  and  yielded  al- 
monds.' In  both  passages  we  find  niD 
perah  used  in  connexion  with  the  al 
mond,  and  we  shall  see  in  the  sequel 
that  the  evidence  in  favor  of  this  inter 
pretation  is  much  increased  by  whai 
will  be  shown  to  have  been  the  spiritual 
or  typical  uses  of  the  Candlestick. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  this  three- 
fold variety  of  ornament  was  arranged 
relatively  to  each  other  on  the  branches, 
the  text  is  not  free  from  ambiguity.  If 
our  conception  of  the  form  were  govern- 
ed solely  by  what  is  said  v.  33,  we 
should  perhaps  infer  that  there  was  but 
one  "knop  and  one  flower  to  the  three 
bowls  on  each  of  the  branches,  as  the 
two  former  are  expressed  by  words  in 
the  singular,  while  '  bowls'  is  in  the 
plural.  Yet  upon  comparing  the  sub- 
sequent verses,  and  making  up  our  idea 
of  the  whole,  we  cannot  well  resist  the 
conclusion,  that  the  bowls,  knops,  and 
flowers  formed  together  one  complex 
ornament  which  was  three  times  re- 
peated on  each  of  the  six  side-branches, 
and  four  times  on  the  central  one.  And 
thus  we  have  represented  them  in  the 
annexed  original  draft  of  the  Candle- 
stick, in  which  the  reader  will  recognise 
the  results  of  the  foregoing  researches 
and  reasonings.  It  will  be  found  to  dif- 
fer very  considerably  from  the  model 
given  in  the  Candlestick  represented  on 
the  Arch  of  Titus.  But  it  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  the  utensils  carried  away  by 
Vespasian  were  not  the  same  with  those 
made  by  Moses ;  and  Josephus  says  the 
Candlestick  was  especially  altered  from 
its  original  form.  The  Mosaic  Candle- 
stick was  transferred  to  the  Temple  and 
lost  in  the  Babylonish  captivity. 


A2 


EXODUS. 


[B.  e.  149L 


32  And  SIX  branches  shall  come 
out  of  the  sides  of  it ;  three  branches 
of  the  candlestick  out  of  the  one 
side,  and  three  branches  of  the  can- 
dlestick out  of  the  other  side  : 

33  Three  bowls  made  like  unto 


almonds,  with  a  knop  and  a  flower 
in  one  branch;  and  three  bowls 
made  like  almonds  in  the  other 
branch,  with  a  knop  and  a  flower  : 
so  in  the  six  branches  that  come 
out  of  the  candlestick. 


The  Golden  Candlestick. 


As  the  Candlestick  of  the  Tabernacle 
forms  a  constituent  part  of  a  system 
preeminently  symbolical  and  typical, 
no  good  reason  can  be  assigned  why  it 
should  not,  like  the  other  sacred  things 
with  which  it  is  connected,  possess  a 
vieaning  suited  to  the  economy  of  which 
it  formed  a  part.  Its  adaptation  to  its 
primary  or  material  uses  is  evident ; 
and  equally  obvious,  if  we  mistake  not, 
will  appear  its  fitness  to  the  spiritual 
ends  which  it  was  intended  to  answer. 
In  the  attempt  to  ascertain  and  settle 
these  upon  satisfactory  grounds,  it  will 
be  important  to  draw  largely  upon  vari- 
ous portions  of  holy  writ,  through  which 
the  light  of  the  Tabernacle-lamps  shines 
more  or  less  distinctly,  and  from  the 
concentrated  rays  of  which  we  are  to 
deduce  its  ultimate  scope.  The  inquiry 
naturally  divides  itself  into  two  dis- 


tinct heads,  the  one  in  reference  to 
the  typical  purport  of  the  Lights,  the 
other,  that  of  the  Candlestick  viewed 
as  a  whole  composed  of  its  shaft  and 
branches. 

(1.)  The  Lights.  As  our  grand  ob- 
ject in  this  part  of  the  investigation 
is,  to  obtain  the  unequivocal  sanction 
of  the  Scriptures  themselves  for  the  so- 
lution which  wie  propose  to  give  to  the 
symbol  before  us,  we  are  naturally  re- 
ferred to  those  passages  where  an  ex- 
press mention  of  the  Candlestick  oc- 
curs, or  which  contain  such  allusions 
to  its  mystical  import  as  will  serve  to 
guide  us  to  correct  conclusions.  Several 
such  places  may  be  cited  from  which 
it  will  appear  that  Light,  in  its  most 
genuine  usage  as  a  symbol,  stands  for 
knoivledge,  or  rather  that  kind  of  sa- 
cred intelligence  or  moral  illumination 


B.  C.  1491.1 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


113 


34  And  in  the   candlestick  shall 
he  four  bowls  made  like  \into  al- 


which  has  for  its  object  the  things  of 
God,  and  for  its  author  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  great  fountain  of  all  spiritual  light. 
The  remarks  of  Pres.  Edwards  in  his 
'Notes  on  the  Bible'  may  be  pertinently 
cited  in  this  connexion.  'In  the  golden 
Candlestick  that  stood  before  the  throne, 
on  the  left  side  was  a  representation 
both  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of  the 
Church.  The  pure  oil  olive  that  fed 
the  lamps  is  indisputably  a  type  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  and  it  is  evident,  from 
Rev.  4.  5,  compared  with  chap.  1.4,  and 
V.  6,  and  Zech.  3.  9,  and  4.  2,  6,  10.  The 
burning  of  the  lamp  represents  that  di- 
vine, infinite,  pure  energy  and  ardor 
wherein  the  Holy  Spirit  consists.  The 
light  of  the  lamps  filling  the  Taberna- 
cle with  light  which  had  no  windovi-s, 
and  no  light  but  of  those  lamps,  re- 
presents the  divine,  blessed  communi- 
cation and  influence  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  replenishing  the  church  and  filling 
heaven  with  the  light  of  divine  know- 
ledge in  opposition  to  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  and  delusion,  v/ith  the  light 
of  holiness  in  opposition  to  the  dark- 
ness of  sin,  and  with  the  light  of  com- 
fort and  joy  in  opposition  to  the  dark- 
ness of  sorrow  and  misery.' 

As  this  light  however  is  communi- 
cated for  the  most  part  through  the  in- 
tervention of  certain  agencies  set  apart 
for  that  purpose,  it  is  quite  natural  that 
it  should  be  symbolically  exhibited  in 
concentrated  form,  in  those  artificial 
luminaries  with  which  all  men  are  fa- 
miliar. The  light  of  the  Tabernacle 
answers  to  the  light  of  the  church  ;  and 
the  light  of  the  church  is  the  light  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  dispensed  through  such 
media  as  it  has  pleased  infinite  wis- 
dom to  adopt.  Of  these  the  sacred  minis- 
try is  perhaps  the  chief;  and  though 
the  ministers  of  Christ  shine  with  a  bor- 
rowed lustre,  merely  reflecting,  like 
mirrors,  the  rays  of  the  great  fountain 
10« 


monds,  with  their  knops  and  their 
flowers. 

of  light,  yet  we  see  a  peculiar  propriety 
and  I'elicily  in  their  being  symbolised  by 
the  lamps  or  lights  of  the  golden  Candle- 
stick. This  will  appear  more  striking- 
ly evident  by  recurrence  to  the  mystic 
scenery  of  the  Apocalypse.  In  the  open- 
ing vision  of  that  book,  chap.  1.  John, 
hearing  a  voice  behind  him  turns  and 
beholds  seven  golden  candlesticks  and 
in  the  midst  of  them  one  like  unto  the 
Son  of  Man  clothed  with  a  long  priest- 
ly tunic  or  robe,  and  girt  about  the 
breast  with  a  golden  girdle.  This  in- 
dicated that  the  character  in  which  he 
now  appeared  was  a  priestly  character, 
and  that  the  action  which  he  performed 
was  a  priestly  action.  What  this  action 
was  and  what  it  was  designed  to  shadow 
forth,  will  be  easily  inferred  from  the 
circumstances  of  the  vision.  The  scene 
of  it  is  undoubtedly  laid  in  the  outer 
room  or  holy  place  of  the  Tabernacle, 
where  the  priests  were  wont  to  officiate, 
and  where  among  other  things  it  was  the 
duty  of  some  one  of  the  number  to  see 
to  the  lighting,  trimming,  and  snuffing 
the  lamps  of  the  golden  Candlestick, 
which  was  done  just  as  it  began  to  grow 
dark  in  the  evening.  Imagine  the  apos- 
tle then,  about  the  hour  of  twilight, 
standing  without,  near  the  entrance  of 
the  holy  place,  and  looking  in  to  the 
further  end  of  the  room,  and  there  be- 
holding the  Great  High  Priest  of  the 
Christian  Church  occupied  about  the 
lights  of  the  seven  distinct  golden  can- 
dlesticks into  which  the  one  large  can- 
delabrum of  the  Tabernacle  is  multi- 
plied under  the  New  Testament  econo- 
my.. These  lights  thus  seen  from  a  dis- 
tance in  a  room  otherwise  dark  would 
have  very  much  the  appearance  o{  stars, 
and  it  would  be  scarcely  a  stretch  of 
language  to  say  that  the  person  em- 
ployed in  trimming  and  dressing  the 
lamps,  with  his  hand  passing  to  and  fro 
from  one  to  the  other,  held  the  stars  in 


114 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


his  right  hand.  Such  at  any  rate  we 
doubt  not  was  the  imagery  presented  to 
the  entranced  perception  of  the  seer, 
and  as  the  action  was  unquestionably 
symbolic,  our  next  object  is  to  ascer- 
tain its  meaning.  But  to  this  we  have 
a  luminous  clue  in  the  words  of  the  di- 
vine hierophant  himself  v.  19,20,  'Write 
the  things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and  the 
things  which  are,  and  the  things  which 
shall  be  hereafter ;  the  mystery  of  the 
seven  stars  which  thou  sawest  in  my 
right  hand,  and  the  seven  golden  candle- 
sticks. The  seven  stars  are  the  angels 
of  the  seven  churches:  and  the  seven 
candlesticks  which  thou  sawest  are  the 
seven  churches.'  Here  then  we  learn 
that  the  seven  stars  are  the  seven  angels 
of  the  seven  churches,  while  the  seven 
Candlesticks  are  the  churches  them- 
selves. But  the  angels  of  the  churches 
are,  in  symbolical  diction,  the  ministers, 
the  elders,  the  collective  pastorship,  of 
the  churches  ;  and  as  we  have  shown  the 
stars  and  the  lights  or  lamps  to  be 
equivalent  symbols,  it  follows  that  the 
lights  set  upon  the  respective  Candle- 
sticks are  the  spiritual  teachers,  the 
moral  luminaries,  appointed  to  impart 
spiritual  and  moral  light  to  the  churches. 
Viewed  in  connexion  with  this,  how 
striking  is  our  Savior's  language,  Mat. 
5.  15,  as  applied  to  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel, to  whom  it  was  no  doubt  prima?-- 
i7j/ intended  to  applj^^  'Neither  do  men 
light  a  candle  and  put  it  under  a  bushel, 
but  on  a  candlestick  ;  and  it  giveth  light 
to  all  that  are  in  the  house.'  But  the" 
Apocalyptic  visionings  referred  to  re- 
quire still  farther  explication.  John 
not  only  saw  the  emblematic  objects 
and  action  described,  but  he  received  a 
command  also  which  discloi^ed  the  drift 
of  the  whole.  He  was  ordered  to  ad- 
dress, in  the  name  of  Christ,  seven  epis- 
tles to  the  seven  Asiatic  Churches  filled 
with  reproofs,  counsels,  admonitions, 
and  urgent  exhortations,  the  design  of 
which  was  to  revive  the  decaying  light, 
or  in  otl:er  words  to  quicken  the  lan- 


guishing graces,  both  of  the  pastors  and 
people  of  those  churches,  which  from 
being  embraced  in  the  number  of  uni- 
versality (seven)  appear  to  have  stood  as 
representatives  of  a//  Christian  churches 
down  through  the  successive  periods  oi 
time  to  the  era  of  his  second  coming. 
This  work,  therefore,  put  forth  by  John 
in  the  name  of  Christ  upon  the  churches 
by  these  epistles  Avas  the  very  work 
which  was  symbolically  represented  by 
the  action  of  the  Savior  in  trimming 
and  dressing  the  lamps  of  the  golden 
candlesticks.  Each  epistle  was  the  ap- 
plication of  the  symbolical  snuffers  to 
each  of  the  churches  ;  but  in  a  more  es- 
pecial manner  to  the  ministers  or  teach- 
ers of  the  churches. 

We  gather  from  this  explanation  the 
clearest  evidence  of  the  truth  of  our 
main  position,  that  the  material  lights 
of  the  Candlestick  represented  the  sjiir- 
itual  lights  of  the  church.  The  same 
view  of  this  symbolical  fabric  applies 
to  the  object  presented  under  some  cir- 
cumstantial varieties  of  form  and  aspect 
in  the  vision  of  Zechariah,  ch.  4.  1 — 3, 
'And  the  angel  that  talked  with  me 
came  again,  and  waked  me,  as  a  man 
that  is  wakened  out  of  his  sleep,  and 
said  unto  me.  What  seest  thou  ?  And 
I  said,  I  have  looked,  and  behold  a  can- 
dlestick, all  of  gold,  with  a  bowl  upon 
the  top  of  it,  and  his  seven  lamps  there 
on,  and  seven  pipes  to  the  seven  lamps, 
which  are  upon  the  top  thereof;  and 
two  olive-trees  by  it,  one  upon  the  right 
side  of  the  bowl,  and  the  other  upon 
the  left  side  thereof.'  The  candlestick 
seen  by  the  prophet  differed  from  that 
made  by  Moses  by  being  surmounted  by 
a  bowl,  out  of  which,  as  from  a  reservoir, 
the  oil  was  conducted  through  golden 
pipes  to  each  of  the  lamps  ;  and  this 
bowl  was  moreover  supplied  by  oil  that 
flowed  in  a  peculiar  manner  through 
two  branches  of  two  olive-trees  stand- 
ing on  either  side  of  ihe  Candlestick, 
V.  n — 14.  This  part  of  the  vision  espe- 
cially attracted   the  curiosity  and   in. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


115 


lerest  of  the  prophet.  'Then  answered 
I,  and  said  unto  him,  What  are  these 
two  olive-trees  upon  the  right  side  of 
the  candlestick  and  upon  the  leit  side 
thereof?  And  I  answered  again,  and 
said  unto  him,  What  be  these  two  olive 
branches  which  through  the  two  golden 
pipes  empty  the  golden  oil  out  of  them- 
selves? And  he  answered  me  and  said, 
Knowest  thou  not  what  these  be  ?  And 
I  said,  No,  my  lord.  Then  said  he, 
These  are  the  two  anointed  ones  (Hob. 
'sons  of  oil'),  that  stand  by  the  Lord 
of  the  whole  earth.'  These  variations 
from  the  Mosaic  model  are  certainly 
very  remarkable ;  still  in  general  sig- 
nificancy  we  have  no  doubt  the  symbol 
in  each  case  is  the  same.  The  Candle- 
stick witli  its  branches  and  its  lighted 
lamps,  represents  the  church  in  its  mul- 
ti];lied  unity,  as  a  medium  for  shedding 
aliroad  the  beams  of  revealed  truth 
amidst  the  darkness  of  a  benighted 
world.  But  as  the  natural  light  of 
lamps  is  sustained  by  oil,  so  spiritual 
light  is  sustained  by  truth.  Truth  is 
its  approjiriate  and  genuine  pabulum  ; 
and  in  the  imagery  of  tlie  vision  before 
us,  the  obvious  design  is  to  represent 
the  manner  in  which  the  churches  are 
furnished  with  the  nourishment  of  truth. 
Is  not  this  from  the  Scriptures  of 
truth,  and  are  not  tlie  Old  and  New 
Testaments  strikingly  and  adequately 
shadowed  forth  by  the  two  olive-trees 
out  of  which  the  mystic  oil  was  elabor- 
ated and  conveyed  to  its  golden  recen- 
tacles?  Here  tlien  we  have  the  true 
clue  to  the  '  two  witnesses'  of  the  Rev- 
elation, eh.  11.  3,4.  'And  I  will  give 
power  unto  my  two  witnesses,  and  they 
shall  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred 
and  threescore  days,  clothed  in  sack- 
cloth. These  are  tlie  two  olive-trees, 
and  the  two  candlesticks  standing  be- 
fore the  God  of  the  earth.'  The  two 
witnesses  are  two  kirids  of  witnesses, 
one  of  each,  but  most  intimately  re- 
lated to  each  other,  and  their  symbolical 
identity  with  the  two  olive-trees  and 


the  two  candlesticks  is  here  expressly 
asserted  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  How  vain 
then  must  be  every  attempt  to  settle  the 
significancy  of  these  mystic  agents  of 
the  Apocalypse  without  first  determin- 
ing the  genuine  import  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment imagery  here  depicted  ?  This  we 
have  endeavored  to  do  in  the  foregoing 
remarks,  and  just  in  proportion  to  the 
evidence  there  adduced  of  the  truth  of 
our  explanation  is  the  evidence  that  by 
the  '  two  witnesses'  of  John  is  meant 
the  Scriptures  and  tlie  Churches — that 
is,  the  true,  genuine,  duly  constituted 
apostolical  churches — which  have  in 
fact  been  in  all  ages,  except  when  sup- 
pressed, the  main  witnesses  of  God  to  the 
eyes  and  ears  of  corrupt  and  apostate 
Christendom.  In  the  prophecy  of  the 
Apocalypse  it  is  clearly  announced  that 
the  evil  predominance  of  a  great  Anti- 
christian  power,  called  the  Beast,  should 
avail  to  cause  these  witnesses  to  proph- 
esy in  sackcloth,  or  in  an  embarrass- 
ed condition,  for  the  space  of  twelve 
hundred  and  sixtj^  years,  and  at  last  for 
a  short  period  to  suppress  them  alto- 
gether ;  after  which  they  were  again  to 
rise  from  their  extinction  and  recom- 
mence in  an  open,  public,  and  acknow- 
ledged manner  the  exercise  of  their  sus- 
pended functions.  This  is  undoubtedly 
the  great  truth  which  the  imagery  was 
intended  to  shadow  forth,  and  for  the 
verification  of  this  truth  we  are  thrown 
upon  the  resources  of  histor)^  But  this 
process  we  must  necessarily  leave  to  be 
followed  out  by  others.  It  constitutes 
the  appropriate  province  of  the  expositor 
of  the  Apocalypse. 

To  the  reader  who  would  desire  a 
more  full  expansion  of  the  idea  here  ad- 
vanced respecting  the  typical  import  of 
the  Lights  of  the  golden  candlestick, 
we  have  great  pleasure  in  recommend- 
ing '  Stonard's  Commentary  on  the  Vi- 
sion of  Zechariah,'  Lond.  1S24,  an  ab- 
stract of  which  will  be  found  in  Robin- 
son's edition  of  Calmet,  under  the  article 
'Candlestick,'    This  work  exhibits  one 


116 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


of  the  most  admirable  specimens  of  the 
sober  and  scriptural  interpretation  of 
prophetic  symbols  to  be  found  in"  the 
English  or  any  other  language.  The 
German  treatise  also  of  Bahr,  entitled 
'  Symbolik  desMosaischen  Cultus,'  will 
be  found  an  important  auxiliary  in  this 
field  of  Biblical  exposition.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly desirable  that  both  these 
works  should  be  made  accessible  to  the 
mass  of  English  readers  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. Our  own  conclusions,  however, 
have  been  arrived  at  by  a  process  con- 
ducted for  the  most  pai"t  independently 
of  either. 

(2.)  The  Candlestick.  To  the  sym- 
bolical purport  of  the  Candlestick,  con- 
sidered more  particularly  in  reference 
to  its  construction  with  ornamented 
shaft  and  branches,  Ave  have  already 
obtained  a  clue  in  the  express  declara- 
tion of  the  Savior  to  John  ;  'The  mys- 
tery of  the  seven  candlesticks  is  the 
seven  churches.'  Since  then  a  candle- 
stick in  general  is  the  scriptural  symbol 
of  a  church,  a  candlestick  with  seven 
branches  must  be  the  symbol  of  the  uni- 
versal church,  spread  abroad  through 
all  its  numerous  particular  congrega- 
tions, each  one  in  its  allotted  station, 
shining  through  both  its  members  and 
ministers, and  giving  light  to  the  world. 
For  the  number  seven  being  used  by  the 
sacred  writers  to  denote  not  mereljr  an 
indefinite  multitude,  but  totality  and  per- 
fection, the  seven  branches  are  doubt- 
less to  be  understood  as  denoting  all 
the  various  and  dispersed  congregations 
of  the  great  spiritual  body  ;  while  their 
all  proceeding  from  one  shaft  plainly 
imjJies,  that  all  those  congregations 
are  united  in  the  one  body  of  the  univer- 
sal church.  '  In  this  character,'  says 
Stonard,  '  the  church  began  to  show  it- 
self, when  the  children  of  Israel,  grown 
into  a  numerous  people,  were  first  col- 
lected and  incorporated  into  a  regularly 
formed  body  of  believers  in  the  true 
God,  obeying,  serving,  and  worshipping 
him  according  to  his  known  will ;  and 


yet  more  conspicuously,  when  they  were 
planted  in  the  land  of  Canaan  and  spread 
over  it,  presenting  to  view  many  con- 
gregations of  religious  persons,  spirit- 
ually united  in  one  general  communitj\ 
The  unity  thereof  was  sufficiently  guard- 
ed by  the  unity  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
afterwards  of  the  temple  in  '  the  place, 
which  God  had  chosen  to  put  his  name 
there.'  At  the  same  time,  there  were 
doubtless  many  synagogues  scattered 
over  the  whole  country,  somewhat  in  the 
nature  of  our  parish  churches,  wherein 
the  several  congregations  met  to  cele- 
brate divine  worship  and  receive  reli- 
gious instruction.  The  Jewish  church 
still  more  completely  answered  to  this 
symbol,  on  the  return  from  the  Baby- 
lonian captivity,  when  in  almost  all 
cities,  towns,  and  populous  villages, 
synagogues  were  erected  and  numer- 
ous congregations  assembled,  profess- 
ing the  belief,  service,  and  worship  of 
the  true  God,  reading,  teaching,  preach- 
ing, and  hearing  his  holy  word  ;  and 
that  not  within  the  narrow  bounds  of 
Palestine  only,  but  through  almost  every 
part  of  the  civilized  world.  But  doubt- 
less the  real,  proper,  perfect  antitype 
of  the  Candlestick  is  to  be  found  in  the 
Christian  church,  when  the  gospel  was 
published  and  its  light  ditTused  among 
all  the  nations  of  the  world,  illuminat- 
ing its  dark  corners  with  the  knowledge 
of  truth  and  salvation.' 

As  to  the  material  of  this  remarkable 
fabric,  it  is  described  to  be  of  pure  gold 
in  all  its  parts  and  appendages ;  and  in 
the  vision  of  Zechariah  the  oil  by  which 
its  light  was  supplied  is  termed  'golden 
oil,'  from  its  perfectly  pure  consistency, 
which  resembled  it  to  liquid  gold.  Now 
it  is  well  known  that  gold  is  the  most 
beautiful  and  precious  of  all  metals, 
and  no  one  needs  to  be  reminded  of  the 
happy  adaptation  of  this  substance  to 
represent  the  church,  that  object  which 
of  all  others  that  the  earth  contains,  is 
beyond  comparison  the  most  excellent, 
precious,  and  glorious  in  the  sight  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


117 


God,  whose  judgment   is  according  to 
truth. 

It  only  remains  to  account  for  the 
stock  and  branches  being  wrought  in 
such  exquisite  resemblance  to  the  lead- 
ing parts  of  the  almond-tree,  from  which 
the  model  of  its  fruits  and  flowers  ap- 
pears to  have  been  derived.  The  men- 
tion of  the  almond-tree  is  not  of  infre- 
quent occurrence  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
it  would  seem,  from  its  peculiar  physi- 
cal properties,  to  be  well  adapted  lo 
stand  among  moral  emblems  as  sym- 
bolical of  that  spiritual  prosperity, 
thrift,  vigor,  and  early  productiveness, 
which  we  naturally  associate  with  our 
ideas  of  the  operations  of  divine  prin- 
ciples in  the  souls  of  the  righteous.  Its 
Hebrew  name  "plIJ  shakt'd  comes  from 
"ip'JJ  shakad,  to  make  haste,  to  be 
in  a  hurry,  and  thence  especially  to 
avake  early,  to  he  vigilant,  to  watch. 
The  almond-lree  therefore  is  called 
"ipiZJ  shakcd,  'quia  prima  inter  ar- 
bores  evigilat,'  because  it  .awakes  be- 
fore all  other  trees  from  its  winter's  re- 
pose. In  southern  climates  it  flowers 
often  in  the  month  of  January^  and  by 
March  brings  its  fruit  to  maturity.  Such 
a  tree,  of  which  it  is  said  Eccl.  1.2.  5, 
'the  almond-tree  shall  flourish,'  natur- 
ally forms  a  very  suitable  emblem  of 
the  vigorous  vitality  of  the  people  of 
God,  who  are  like  'a.  tree  planted  by 
the  rivers  of  waters,  which  bringeth 
forth  his  fruit  in  his  season,  and  his 
leaf  doth  not  fade.'  We  do  not  indeed 
find  it  any  where  expressly  affirmed  that 
such  is  the  designed  import  of  figures 
and  illustrations  drawn  from  this  mem- 
ber of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  but  we 
do  find  it  introduced  into  the  sacred 
things  for  some  reason  or  other,  and 
this  reason  we  are  doubtless  left  to  de- 
duce from  the  intrinsic  adaptedness  of 
its  properties  to  the  end  in  view.  Thus 
we  are  told.  Num.  17.6 — 8,  that  'Moses 
spake  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
every  one  of  their  princes  gave  him  a 
rod  apiece,  for  each  prince  one,  accord- 


ing to  their  fathers'  house,  even  twelve 
rods :  and  the  rod  of  Aaron  was  among 
their  rods.  And  Moses  laid  up  the  rods 
before  the  Lord  in  the  tabernacle  of 
witness.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  on 
the  morrow  Moses  went  into  the  taber- 
nacle of  witness;  and  behold,  the  rod 
of  Aaron  for  the  house  of  Levi  was 
budded,  and  brought  forth  buds,  and 
bloomed  blossoms,  and  yielded  almonds.' 
By  this  was  shadowed  forth  the  fact, 
that  the  priestly  oflice,  in  the  fruits  and 
flowers  of  its  functions,  should  bloom 
and  flourish  in  the  family  of  Aaron ; 
and  we  have  here  only  to  transfer  the 
essential  significancy  of  the  symbol  to 
the  body  of  Christians  to  see  its  ap- 
plicability to  the  work  of  the  golden 
Candlestick.  But  waving  all  attempts 
to  account  with  assurance  for  the  em- 
ployment of  the  almond-tree  rather  than 
any  other  in  this  relation,  the  main 
fact  remains  indisputable,  that  blossoms, 
flowers,  and  fruits  were  wrought  into 
the  ornamental  work  of  the  branches, 
and  that  a  symbolical  intention  govern- 
ed this  part  of  the  workmanship.  Now 
we  have  se^n  that  the  Candlestick,  in 
its  New  Testament  bearings,  represents 
the  Churches  of  Christ.  But  the  churches 
are  composed  of  Christians,  and  Chris- 
tians are  a  flower-decked  and  fruit- 
bearing  people.  They  are  distinguish- 
ed by  the  beautifying  graces  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  fitly  represented  hy  flowers, 
and  by  the  substantial  fruits  of  holy 
living.  'Every  branch  in  me  that  bear- 
eth  fruit,  he  purgeth  it,  that  it  maj' 
bring  forth  more  fruit.'  A  multitude 
of  passages  will  at  once  occur  to  the 
reader,  in  which  comparisons  drawn 
from  plants  are  made  use  of  in  order  to 
portray  more  vividly  the  leading  attri- 
butes of  the  Christian  character.  Why 
then  should  not  a  similar  device,  ad- 
dressed to  the  eye,  have  been  inwrought 
into  the  structure  of  a  symbol  express- 
ly designed  to  adumbrate  the  churches 
of  the  saints  ?  Is  it  a  mere  work  of 
fancy  to  recognise  a  meaning  worthy 


118 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


35  And  there  shall  be  a  knop  under 
two  branches  of  the  same,  and  a 
knop  under  two  branches  of  the 
same,  and  a  knop  under  two 
branches  of  the  same,  according  to 
the  six  branches  that  proceed  out 
of  the  candlestick. 

36  Their  knops  and  their  branches 

of  the  subject  and  worthy  of  its  divine 
Author  in  the  unique  decoration  of  this 
remarkable  portion  of  the  Mosaic  ap- 
paratus? It  was,  at  any  rate,  a  view 
of  the  subject  which  comnnencled  itself 
to  the  gifted  mind  of  Edwards,  who  thus 
comments  upon  the  passage  before  us  ; 
'  The  Candlestick  was  like  a  tree  of 
many  branches,  and  bearing  flowers  and 
fruit,  agreeable  to  the  very  frequent  re- 
presentations of  the  church  by  a  tree,  an 
olive-tree,  a  vine,  a  grain  of  mustard' 
seed  that  becomes  a  tree,  the  branch 
of  the  Lord,  a  tree  whose  substance 
is  in  it,  &c.  The  continuance  and  pro- 
pagation of  the  church  is  compared  to 
the  propagation  of  branches  from  a 
common  stock  and  root,  and  of  plants 
from  the  seed.  In  this  Candlestick, 
every  flower  is  attended  with  a  knop, 
apple,  or  pomegranate,  representing  a 
good  profession  attended  with  corres- 
ponding fruit  in  the  true  saints.  Here 
were  rows  of  knops  and  flowers  one 
after  another,  beautifully  representing 
the  saints'  progress  of  religious  attain- 
ments, their  going  from  strength  to 
strength.  Such  is  the  nature  of  true 
grace  and  holy  fruit,  that  it  bears  flow- 
ers that  promise  a  further  degree  of 
IVuit,  the  flowers  having  in  it  the  prin- 
ciples of  new  fruit,  and  by  this  progress 
in  holiness,  the  saint  comes  to  shine  as 
a  light  in  the  world.'  Notes  on  the  Bi- 
ble, p.  265.  For  a  still  further  con- 
firmation of  the  truth  of  this  solution, 
see  Notes  on  Ex.  2S.  33 — 35,  respecting 
the  pomegranates  and  bells  on  the  robe 
of  the  ephod  of  the  high  priest. — We 
now  resume  the  thread  of  our  anno- 
tations. 


shall  be  of  the  same  :  all  of  it  shall 
be  one  beaten  work  of  pure  gold. 

37  And  thou  shalt  make  the  seven 
lamps  thereof :  and  y  they  shall 
light  the  lamps  thereof,  that  they 
may  ^  give  light  over  against  it. 

y  ch.  26,  21.  &  30.  8.  Lev,  24.  3, 4.  3  Chron. 
13.11.     z  Numb.  8.2. 


35.  A  knop  under  two  branches,  &c. 
From  this  being  thrice  repeated  it  would 
seem  to  import  that,  beginning  from  the 
bottom  pair  of  branches,  there  was  to  be 
on  the  main  shaft  one  knop  under  each 
pair,  near  where  it  branched  out,  which 
would  leave  one  knop  with  its  bowl  and 
flower  to  ornament  the  upper  part  of 
the  shaft,  between  the  upper  pair  of 
branches  and  the  middle  lamp. 

36.  Shall  be  of  the  same.  That  is, 
of  the  same  material ;  all  pure  solid 
gold. 

37.  Thou  shalt  make  the  seven  lamps 
thereof.  Shalt  cause  to  be  made.  By 
'  lamps'  here  is  meant  the  lamp-sconces 
or  receptacles  for  holding  the  oil,  at- 
tached to  the  upper  extremity  of  the 
shaft  and  each  of  the  branches.  This 
is  rendered  in  the  Gr.  by  Xv)(voi,  lamps. 

"iT  And  they  shall  light,  &c.     Heb. 

n^3>n  healah,  he  shall  cause  to  ascend; 
i.  e.  he,  the  priest ;  whose  duty  it  was 
to  attend  the  Candlestick.  Yet  the 
phrase  is  collective  implying  the  suc- 
cession of  priests,  and  therefore  proper- 
ly enough  rendered  in  the  plural  in  our 
translation.  The  rendering  '  shall  light' 
is  rather  a  paraphrase  than  a  literal 
version.  The  meaning  of  the  original 
will  be  plain  if  we  bear  in  mind  that 
the  '  lamps'  or  sconces  were  to  be  de- 
tached and  taken  down  from  their  sock- 
ets in  the  top  of  the  Candlestick,  When 
they  were  cleaned,  filled  with  oil,  and 
lighted,  they  were  to  be  put  vp  again 
ill  their  places,  and  this  is  the  exact 
sense  of  the  Heb.  rii3''n  to  make  to 
ascend,  i,  e.  to  raise,  to  elevate.  Gr. 
tTziQr]azii  rovg  \v)(vovi,  thou  shalt  put  on 
the  lamps.    So  also  the  Vulg.   'Thou 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


110 


38  And  ihe  tongs  thereof,  and  the 
snuff-dishes  thereof,  sA«Z/  be  o/pure 
gold. 

39  Of  a  talent  of  pure  gold  shall 
he  make  it,  with  all  these  vessels. 


shall  set  them  upon  the  Candlestick.' 
As  the  lamps  were  thus  put  up  in  a 
lighted  state,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the 
term  came  to  be  rendered  by  the  verb 
to  light.  When  the  lamps  were  all 
lighted  below,  and  duly  raised  up  to 
their    proper    places,    the   Candlestick 

might  be  said  to  be  lighted. IT  Give 

light  over  against  it.  Heb.  ^!l5  pS? 
rr^DS  al  tber  pancha,  over  against  the 
face  thereof;  i.  e.  right  forward,  or 
straight  before  it,  as  the  phrase  signi- 
fies Ezek.  1.9,  12.  As  the  Candlestick 
stood  near  the  wall  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Holy  Place,  its  light  would  natur- 
ally fall  in  the  opposite  direction,  more 
especially  upon  the  Table  of  Shew- 
bread,  which  faced  it  on  the  north. 
Comp.  Num.  8.  2,  3. 

38.  The  tongs  thereof.  Heb.  n^np!b?3 
vialkahcha,  literally  takers  from  np^ 
lakah,  to  take,  to  receive j  supposed  to  be 
a  kind  of  scissars  or  snuffers  for  trim- 
ming the  lamps.    Chal.   'Forceps.' 

IT  Smiff-dishes  thereof.  Heb.  MTinn!^ 
mahtotheha,  probably  a  kind  of  vessels 
or  pans  for  receiving  the  snuffings  of 
the  lamps  after  they  had  been  cut  off 
by  the  '  tongs'  above  mentioned.  Their 
precise  form  cannot  now  be  determined. 

39.  A  talent  of  pure  gold,  &c.  That 
is,  a  talent  of  gold  in  weight  was  used 
in  making  the  Candlestick,  and  the  dif- 
ferent vessels  and  instruments  belong- 
ing to  it ;  and  this  according  to  the 
most  approved  estimates  of  the  value 
of  Jewish  coins  amounted  to  not  less 
than  $30,000. 

40.  Look  that  thou  make  them  after 
their  pattern,  which  was  shewed  thee, 
&c.  Heb.  n5^^?3  nni5  'TTH  asher  attah 
moreh,  which  thou  wast  caused  to  see. 
The  command  here  given  to  Moses,  en- 
joining upon  him  a  scrupulous  adher- 


40  And  a  look  that  thou  make 
them  after  their  pattern,  which 
was  shewed  thee  in  the  mount. 

a  ch.  26.30.  Numb.  8.  4.  1  Chron.28. 11, 19 
Acts  7.  44.  Hebr.S.  5. 

ence  to  the  model  proposed,  undoubt' 
edly  carries  with  it  an  intimation  that 
God  regards  his  own  appointments  in 
matters  of  worship  as  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, and  at  the  same  time  of  a 
tendency  in  man  to  vary  from  his  pat- 
terns and  trust  to  his  own  inventions. 
Probably  some  more  latitude  is  allowed 
under  the  Christian  dispensation  to  the 
dictates  of  human  wisdom  in  regard  to 
externals,  provided  certain  great  funda- 
mental principles  be  adhered  to,  and 
no  onerous  impositions  be  laid  upon  the 
conscience  ;  but  the  Tabernacle  service 
was  throughout  a  sytem  of  instituted 
worship,  which  derived  all  its  authority 
from  the  express  appointment  of  Jeho- 
vah. On  this  account  it  was  manifestly 
proper  that  every  item  of  the  apparatus 
should  be  fashioned  according  to  the 
model  set  before  Moses  on  the  mount. 
It  is  to  be  observed,  therefore,  that  this 
order  was  given  to  him  repeatedly,  and 
with  very  peculiar  force  and  emphasis  ; 
and  his  strict  adherence  to  it  is,  in  the 
last  chapter  in  this  book,  noticed  no 
less  than  eight  times,  once  after  the 
mention  of  every  separate  piece  of 
furniture  that  was  made.  In  the  New 
Testament  also  his  compliance  with 
the  command  is  repeatedly  adverted 
to,  and  the  very  order  itself  expressly 
quoted.  Acts,  7.  4,  Heb.  8. 5.  What  then 
was  the  reason  of  such  minute  particular, 
ity?  Why  must  such  and  such  things  on- 
ly be  made,  and  they  too  of  such  pre- 
cise materials  and  shape  ?  Undoubtedly 
because  the  whole  was  intended  to  be 
of  a  typical  character,  shadowing  the 
leading  features  of  the  gospel  dispen- 
sation. Now  as  none  but  God  could 
know  all  the  things  that  were  to  be  pre- 
figured, so  none  but  he  could  know  how 
to  adjust  and  designate  them  in  the  way 


120 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MOREOVER,  a  thou  shalt  make 
the  tabernacle  with  ten  cur- 


a  ch.  36.  8. 


best  adapted  to  their  end.  Had  Moses 
been  left  to  contrive  any  thing  from  his 
own  ingenuity,  there  might  have  want- 
ed a  correspondence  between  the  type 
and  the  antitype.  But  when  a  model 
of  every  thing  was  shown  him  by  God 
himself,  the  whole  must  of  necessity 
accord  most  perfectly  with  the  mind 
and  purpose  of  the  divine  Designer. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  CURTAINS  OF  THE  TABERNACLE. 

1.  Thou  shalt  make  the  tabernacle 
with  ten  curtains,  &c.  Heb.  '^^ll^I^tl 
hammishkan,  the  habitation.  It  will  be 
observed,  that  as  nothing  is  said  of  the 
frame-work  of  wood  till  we  arrive  at 
the  15th  verse,  and  yet  the  term  'taber- 
nacle' is  here  employed,  the  original 
*]j'Ij?2  mishkan  must  be  understood  in 
somewhat  of  a  restricted  sense  as  denot- 
ing the  inner  set  of  curtains.  From  this 
is  distinguished  the  second  or  goats'  hair 
set,  expressly  called  ^ni<  ohel,  a  tent, 
and  from  both,  the  other  two  which  are 
called  simply  by  the  more  general  term 
nDS?3  miksehy  covering.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  two  first  of  these  terms 
*]iffi>a  mishkan  and  ^Hi^  ohel  elsewhere 
occur  as  a  designation  of  the  whole  tab' 
ernacle  without  special  reference  to  its 
several  parts,  yet  it  is  always  import- 
ant to  notice  the  minutest  shades  of 
peculiarity  in  the  use  of  Scriptural 
terms  ;  and  we  shall  see  as  we  proceed, 
that  the  distinction  now  adverted  to  is 
amply  supported.  See  Note  on  Ex.  40. 
19.  The  ten  curtains  which  the  sacred 
writer  goes  on  to  describe  did  not,  as 
we  have  remarked  above,  form  the 
whole  envelope  of  the  Tabernacle,  but 
simply  one  set,  of  which  there  were 
four  in  all.  Of  these  the  inner  set,  here 
described,  was  by  far  the  richest   and 


tains  o/fine  twined  linen,  and  blue, 
and  purple,  and  scarlet :  with  cheru- 
bims  of  cunning  work  shalt  thou 
make  them. 

most  exquisite.  They  were  made  of  the 
finest  linen,  dyed  of  the  most  beautiful 
colors,  blue,  purple,  and  scarlet,  and 
curiously  embroidered  all  over  with 
Cherubim,  as  if  it  were  intended  to  in- 
tirtiate  that  the  beings  which  they  rep- 
resented were  vitally  interested  in  the 
great  truths  shadowed  forth  by  the  most 
recondite  and  central  mysteries  of  the 
Tabernacle.  This  is  evitiently  a  rela- 
tion too  intimate  to  be  sustained  by 
angels,  and  therefore  we  are  to  look  to 
men,  men  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  for  the  substance  of  the  symbol 
But  as  the  symbol  points  more  espe- 
cially to  men  in  their  saved  and  glori- 
fied state,  there  is  less  impropriety  in 
giving  them  an  angelic  emblem,  because 
they  will  then  be  raised  to  an  angelic 
condition.  Our  Savior's  words,  Mark, 
12.  25,  'They  shall  be  as  the  angels  in 
heaven,'  we  have  no  doubt  when  rightly 
understood  go  rather  to  identify  than 
to  assimilate  the  sons  of  the  resurrec- 
tion with  the  angels  of  heaven. IT 

Fine  twined  linen;  by  which  is  meant 
linen  made  of  threads  finely  twisted  in 
the  process  of  spinning.  Hence  in  the 
Hebrew  canons  it  is  said,  'Wheresoever 
fine  linen  twisted  is  spoken  of  in  the 
law,  it  must  be  six-double  thread.'  It 
is  conjectured  that  this  is  the  reason 
why  this  exquisite  kind  of  linen,  the 
Byss,  is  called  1ZJ1I3  shesh  in  the  orig- 
inal, which  properly  signifies  '  six.' 

IT  Cherubims  of  cunning  work.  Heb. 
!3T!5n  n^3>?2  maaseh  hoshib,  the  work 
of  an  exquisite  craftsman.  Gr.  tpyacria 
vipavTov,  with  the  work  of  a  weaver. 
Chal.  'With  the  work  of  the  artificer.' 
Arab.  'A  picture  of  the  most  sagacious 
art.'  Vulg.  'Variegated  with  embroider- 
ed work.'  The  meaning  is,  that  figures 
of  the  Cherubim  were  to  be  embroidered 
into  the  tapestry  of  which  the  linen 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


121 


2  The  length  of  one  curtain  shall 
he  eight  and  twenty  cubits,  and  the 
breadth  of  one  curtain  four  cubits  : 
and  every  one  of  the  curtains  shall 
have  one  measure. 

3  The  five  curtains  shall  be  coup- 
led together  one  to  another;  and 

curtains  were  composed.  Considering 
that  the  inner  set  of  curtains  here  de- 
scribed was  ornamented  throughout  with 
this  splendid  coloring  and  embroidery, 
we  are  on  the  whole  strongly  inclined 
to  adopt  the  opinion  of  Bahr  (Symbolik 
des  Mosaischen  Cultus,  p.  64.),  that  no 
part  of  it  hung  on  the  outside  of  the 
structure,  but  that  it  served  as  an  i?i- 
terior  lining  to  both  the  outer  and  in- 
ner rooms  of  the  Tabernacle.  To  say 
nothing  of  the  fact  that  otherwise  it  is 
not  easy  to  conceive  why  the  linen  cur- 
tains were  not  as  much  an  ^nS!4  or  tent 
as  the  goats'  hair,  it  follows  from  the 
ordinary  interpretation,  that  all  that 
part  of  the  beautiful  embroidered  work 
which  fell  outside  of  the  walls  was  en- 
tirely concealed  from  view ;  that  is  to 
say,  that  out  of  1120  square  cubits  of 
this  exquisitely  wrought  tapestry,  only 
300,  or  the  portion  over-head  were  vis- 
ible, leaving  820,  or  about  three-fourths 
of  the  whole,  entirely  excluded  from 
the  eye,  either  within  or  without,  ex- 
cept when  the  Tabernacle  was  taken 
down  or  set  up  ;  and  then  they  would  be 
exposed  to  the  general  gaze,  which  was 
equally  abhorrent  to  the  sacredness  of 
their  design.  It  may  then  be  safely  ask- 
ed, whether  this  is  probable?  Would 
infinite  wisdom  have  authorised  such  a 
superfluous  expense  of  workmanship, 
such  a  prodigal  waste  of  splendid  im- 
agery? Suppose  this  curtain- work,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  be  wholly  suspended 
within  the  rooms,  and  the  whole  of  the 
embroidery  was  or  might  be  visible. 
And  in  accordance  with  this,  we  find 
that  in  the  Temple,  which  was  mo- 
delled after  the  Tabernacle,  the  figures 
of  the  Cherubim  were  carved  on  the  in- 
Vol.  II,  11 


other  five  curtains  shall  be  coupled 
one  to  another. 

4  And  thou  shalt  make  loops  of 
blue  npon  the  edge  of  the  one  cur- 
tain from  the  selvedge  in  the  coup- 
ling ;  and  likewise  shall  thou  make 
in  the  uttermost  edge  of  another 

side  walls  all  round  about  the  Holy  and 
Most  Holy  Place,  1  Kings,  6.  29.  It 
is  true  indeed  that  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject requires  us  to  suppose  that  these 
curtains  were  attached  by  some  kind  of 
fastenings  to  the  upper  extremity  of  the 
boards,  after  passing  across  and  form- 
ing the  roof;  but  as  the  separating  vail, 
V.  32,  was  suspended  from  the  pillars 
by  means  of  hooks  and  loops,  so  no- 
thing is  easier  than  to  imagine  that  a 
similar  expedient  was  adopted  here. 
The  more  the  matter  is  considered, 
the  more  probable  we  think  will  this 
suggestion  appear  ;  although  we  have 
in  the  figure  below  represented  the  in- 
ner set  of  curtains  as  hanging  without ; 
but  this  is  simply  with  a  view  to  dis- 
play the  difference  of  their  texture  from 
that  of  the  others. 

2,  3.  The  length  of  one  curtain  shall 
be  eight  and  twenty  cubits,  &c.  That 
is,  about  fourteen  yards  in  breadth,  and 
two  in  width.  These  tea  curtains  were 
to  be  formed  into  two  separate  hang- 
ings, five  breadths  in  each,  which  were 
probably  sewed  together,  while  the  two 
hangings  were  coupled  by  loops  and 
golden  clasps.  With  one  of  these  large 
and  gorgeous  pieces  of  tapestry  the 
Holy  Place  was  covered,  with  whose 
dimensions  it  very  exactly  correspond- 
ed, and  with  the  other  the  Most  Holy. 
This  was  doubtless  the  reason  of  the 
twofold  division.  But  as  the  Most  Holy 
Place  was  only  five  yards  long,  there 
remained  a  surplus  of  five  yards,  which 
hung  down  on  the  west  end  of  that 
room,  being  just  sufficient  to  cover  it. 

4.  And  thou  shalt  make  loops  of  blue. 
That  is,  of  blue  tape.  These  loops 
did  not  themselves  interlace  with  each 


122 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


curtain,  in  the  coupling  of  the  se- 
cond. 

5  Fifty  loops  shalt  thou  make  in 
the  one  curtain,  and  fifty  loops 
shalt  thou  make  in  the  edge  of  the 
curtain  that  is  in  the  coupling  of 
the  second;  that  the  loops  may 
take  hold  one  of  another. 

6  And  thou  shalt  make  fifty  tach- 
es  of  gold,  and  couple  the  curtains 
together  with  the  taches:  and  it 
shall  be  one  tabernacle. 

7  H  And  b  thou  shalt  make  cur- 
tains of  goats'  hair  to  be  a  cover- 
ing upon  the  tabernacle:  eleven 
curtains  shalt  thou  make. 

8  The  length  of  one  curtain  shall 

b  ch.  36. 14. 

other,  and  thus  connect  the  curtains, 
but  they  Avere  brought  near  together 
and  then  coupled  by  the  '  taches'  or 
clasps.  As  to  the  precise  manner  in 
which  this  coupling  was  effected  we 
are  thrown  upon  our  own  conjectures. 
Horsley's  account  of  it  is  as  follows, 
(Bibl.  Crit.  vol.  1.  p.  103)  :  'Since  the 
two  sheets  were  fastened  together, 
whenever  the  Tabernacle  was  set  up 
by  the  loops  and  the  hooks,  and  there 
were  fifty  hooks  upon  each  sheet,  but 
only  fifty  hooks  in  all,  it  is  obvious  that 
one  hook  must  have  served  each  pair  of 
loops.  And  this  is  remarked  by  all 
commentators.  But  how  this  was  ef- 
fected, I  have  nowliere  found  explained 
in  an  intelligible  manner.  I  think  it 
must  have  been  thus.  The  fifty  hooks 
were  all  set  upon  one  sheet.  Each  hook 
was  set  immediately  behind  a  loop. 
Then  the  loop  immediately  before  the 
hook  was  passed  through  the  opposite 
loop  on  the  other  sheet,  and  being 
drawn  back,  was  hitched  upon  the  hook 
behind  it.  Thus  the  edge  of  the  sheet 
on  which  the  hooks  were  not  set,  would 
be  made  to  lap  a  little  over  the  edge  of 
the  other,  and  a  close,  firm,  neat  join- 
ing would  be  formed.'  The  coupling  of 
the  two  main  hangings  together  in  this 


be  thirty  cubits,  and  the  breadth  of 
one  curtain  four  cubits:  and  the 
eleven  curtains  shall  be  all  of  on© 
measure. 

9  And  thou  shalt  couple  five  cur- 
tains by  themselves,  and  six  cur- 
tains by  themselves,  and  shalt 
double  the  sixth  curtain  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  tabernacle. 

10  And  thou  shalt  make  fifty  loops 
on  the  edge  of  the  one  curtain  that 
is  outmost  in  the  coupling,  and  fifty 
loops  in  the  edge  of  the  curtain 
which  coupleth  the  second. 

11  And  thou  shalt  make  fifty  tach- 
es of  brass,  and  put  the  taches  into 
the  loops,  and  couple  the  tent  to- 
gether, that  it  may  be  one. 

manner  made  it,  as  it  were,  '  one  taber- 
nacle' Cp'iL'^Q),  i.  e.  one  continuous  awn- 
ing or  pavilion.  It  was  such,  moreover, 
or  rather  is  spoken  of  as  such,  independ- 
ent of  the  wood  work,  which  is  subse- 
quently mentioned. 

7—11.  Curtains  of  goats'  hair.  The 
nature  of  this  material,  as  a  coarse  kind 
o(  camlet,  we  have  already  considered, 
ch.  25.  4.  The  curtains  made  of  it  were 
designed  as  a  protection  to  the  finer 
fabric  of  the  inner  set,  which  seems  to 
be  more  especially  alluded  to  in  the 
term  'tabernacle'  —  a  sense  confirmed 
by  the  usage  of  the  Heb.  'pVj'>2  before 
remarked  upon.  There  was  one  more 
piece  of  this  camlet  covering  than  of 
the  linen,  and  it  was  also  two  cubits,  or 
a  yard,  longer.  The  breadth  of  each 
piece  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  form- 
er,  but  as  there  was  one  more  of  the 
camlet  than  of  the  linen,  it  made  the 
whole  covering  when  coupled  together 
two  yards  longer  and  one  yard  broader 
than  the  interior  one.  For  this  reason, 
it  hung  down  near  to  the  bottom  of  the 
side-walls,  and  one  yard  in  front  over 
the  entrance,  which  part  of  it  was  or- 
dinarily doubled  back.  The  coupling 
of  the  parts  was  managed  in  the  same 
way  as  that  of  the  other,  except  that 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


123 


12  And  the  remnant  that  remain- 
eth  of  the  curtains  of  the  tent,  the 
half  curtain  that  remaineth,  shall 
hang  over  the  back-side  of  the  tab- 
ernacle. 

13  And  a  cubit  on  the  one  side, 
and  a  cubit  on  the  other  side  of 
that  which  remaineth  in  the  length 
of  the  curtains  of  the  tent,  it  shall 

one  division  consisted  of  five  pieces  and 
the  other  six,  and  in  this  instance  the 

taches  were  of  brass  instead  of  gold. 

IT  Couple  the  tent  together.  Heb.  ^Hi^ 
ohel.  This  phraseology  keeps  up  the 
distinction  adverted  to  above  between 
'  tabernacle'  and  '  tent'  in  this  part  of 
the  history. 

13.  The  remnant  that  remaineth,  &c. 
The  disposal  of  this  surplus  part  of  the 
curtains  has  been  already  intimated 
above.  From  the  additional  particu- 
lars here  given,  we  learn,  that  it  went 
to  furnish  the  greater  length  of  lianging 
on  the  sides,  the  front,  and  the  west 
end  of  the  Tabernacle.  Still  it  did  not 
depend  quite  to  the  ground,  but  left  the 
foundation  work  of  silver  sockets  ex- 
posed to  view. 

14.  Thou  shall  make  a  covering,  &c. 
Of  the  third  and  fourth  of  these  in- 
velopes,  which  were  made  of  skins,  as 
they  were  of  a  still  coarser  fabric,  the 
account  is  very  brief.  Nothing  is  said 
of  the  dimensions  of  either,  but  it  is  to 
be  presumed  that  each  was  somewhat 
larger  than  the  one  immediately  next 
it,  and  to  which  it  served  as  a  '  cover- 
ing.' It  is  not  expressly  stated  whether 
the  curtains  lay  flat  or  sloping  on  the 
top  of  the  Tabernacle  ;  if  flat,  there 
was  more  need  of  so  many  distinct  cov- 
erings to  prevent  the  rain  from  soaking 
through  and  injuring  the  inner  and  finer 
set,  or  from  dropping  into  the  sanctu- 
ary. It  is  probable,  however,  that  the 
successive  layers  would  of  themselves 
sufficiently  round  the  top  of  the  Taber- 
nacle to  carry  off  the  water,  of  which 
hut  little  would  be  expected  to  fall  in 


hang  over  the  sides  of  the  taber- 
nacle on  this  side  and  on  that  side, 
to  cover  it. 

14  And  cthou  shalt  make  a  cov- 
ering for  the  tent  of  rams'  skins 
dyed  red,  and  a  covering  above  of 
badgers'  skins. 

c  ch.  36.  19. 


that  arid  region.    It  may  also  be  sup- 
posed   that   in  good   weather,   and   on 
more   solemn   occasions,    the   exterior 
and  coarser  hangings  were  folded  up  on 
the  sides  so  as  to  let  the  inner  and  finer 
appear  in  all  their  beauty  ;  and  as  it  is 
certain  that  neither  of  the  inner  hang- 
ings  came  lower  than  to  the  upper  side 
of  the  silver  ground-sill,  that  splendid 
foundation  would  be  thus  exposed  to 
view,  and   the  whole   together    would 
present  to  the  eye  of  the  beholder  a 
magnificent  spectacle.    In  bad  weather, 
or  at  night,    the   skin-coverings   were 
probably  let  down  to  their  full  length, 
which  was  sufficient  to  cover  the  silver 
sleepers,  and  thus   protect   them  from 
rain  or  snow.     The  remark  of  Scott  on 
the   typical  design  of  the  several  cur- 
tain-layers is  very  appropriate ;   'The 
whole  represents  the  person  and  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  his  true  church,  and  all 
heavenly  things  ;  which  are  outwardly, 
and  to  the  carnal  eyed,  mean,  but  are 
inwardly  and  in  the  sight  of  God,  ex- 
ceedingly glorious  and  precious.    The 
secure  protection  which  he  prepares  for 
those  who  are  inwardly  precious  in  his 
sight,  may  also  be  denoted ;   and  the 
unity  of  the  whole,  formed  of  so  many 
pieces  and  of  such  different  materials, 
into  one  covering  of  the  sanctuary,  re- 
presents the  spiritual  temple  formed  of 
persons    of  different  nations,  disposi- 
tions, abilities,  and  attainments,  com- 
pacted together  into  one  church,  by  the 
uniting  influence  of  the  spirit  of  love.' 
The  annexed  cut  is  a  probable  approx- 
imation to  a  correct  view  of  the  cur- 
tains. 


1S4 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149 J. 


15  ^  And  thou  shalt  make  boards 
for  the  tabernacle  o/shittim-wood 
standing  up. 

16  Ten  cubits  shall  be  the  length 
of  a  board,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half 
shall  be  the  breadth  of  one  board. 

17  Two  tenons  shall  there  be  in 


one  board,  set  in  order  one  against 
another:  thus  shalt  thou  make  for 
all  the  boards  of  the  tabernacle. 

18  And  thou  shalt  make  the 
boards  for  the  tabernacle,  twenty 
boards  on  the  south  side  south- 
ward. 


The  Curtains  cf  the  Tapernaci  e. 


THE    rOARDS. 

1.3.  Thou  shalt  7uake  hoii}-ds,  kc.  Ileb. 
'D'l'r'lp  kerashirn,  board.s  or  planks. 
The  appropriate  root  "Clp  karash  does 
not  occur  in  Hebrew,  but  in  Chaldee 
the  verb  signifies  to  coagulate,  con- 
geal, condense,  as  D^p  keres  likewise 
does  in  Arabic,  and  the  S3Tiac  uses 
5^!23^p  kaisha  as  a  noun  for  contig- 
nation,  or  cotipling  together.  The  rad- 
ical idea  of  the  Heb.  1D*|p  karash  seems 
to  he  to  compact,  contignate,  or  fasten 
together,  as  in  the  frame-work  of  a 
building.  Such  a  frame-work  was  ne- 
cessary to  support  the  curtains,  and  to 
give  more  stability  to  the  sacred  tent.  Of 
the  '  shittim-wood,'  or  acacia,  we  have 
already  spoken  ;  the  remaining  particu- 
lars will  be  considered  as  we  proceed. 

16.  Ten  cubits  shall  be  the  length  of 
a  board.  As  the  length  of  the  boards 
constituted  the  height  of  the  Taberna- 
cle, it  follows  from  this,  according  to 
the  common  computation  of  the  cubit, 
that  it  was  five  yards  or  fifteen  feet 
high.  As  there  were  twenty  of  these 
on  each  side,  each  of  which  were  a 
cubit  and  a  half,  or  twenty-seven  inches 


iti  breadlh,  it  made  the  whole  length 
thirty  cubits,  or  fifteen  yards.  Nothing, 
however,  is  said  of  the  thickness  of  the 
boards,  which  Lightfoot  fixes  at  nine 
inches,  and  which  we  have  every  reason 
to  believe  did  not  fall  short  of  that 
estimate,  though  the  Rabbins  make  it 
an  entire  cubit.  This  inference  is  con- 
firmed by  the  fact  that  the  Sept  renders 
the  original  b'^'123'lp  by  cttvXoi  pillars, 
and  this  they  would  scarcely  have  done 
had  they  understood  it  to  mean  only 
boards,  which  would  certainly  be  a 
very  inadequate  material  for  such  a 
structure. 

17.  Tico  tenons.  Heb.  TiTT^  yadoth, 
hands;  so  called  probably  from  their 
holding  fast  in  the  sockets  into  which 
they  were  mortised.  These  '  tenons' 
are  generally  understood  to  have  been 
affixed  to  the  bottom  of  each  board,  and 
to  have  been  precisely  the  same  with 
those  mentioned  below,  v.  19.  But  we 
are  rather  of  opinion  that  the  two  tenons 
here  spoken  of  projected  from  the  side 
of  each  board,  and  were  inserted  into 
corresponding  receptacles  in  the  adjoin- 
ing board,  in  order  to  give  more  com- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


125 


19  And  thou  shalt  make  forty 
sockets  of  silver  under  the  twenty 
boards :  two  sockets  under  one 
board  for  his  two  tenons,  and  two 
sockets  under  another  board  for  his 
two  tenons. 

20  And  for  the  second  side  of  the 

pactness  to  the  wall.  With  this  sub- 
stantially agrees  the  rendering  of  the 
Vulg.  '  In  the  sides  of  the  boards  shall 
be  made  two  mortises,  whereby  one 
board  may  be  joined  to  another  board.' 
The  original  for  '  set  in  order'  (tlD^iT^^ 
meshallaboth)  properly  signifies  '  set 
ladderwise,'  and  it  is  perfectly  easy  to 
conceive  that  where  two  boards  were 
brought  near  together,  and  yet  not  quite 
closed  up,  the  connecting  tenons  would 


tabernacle  on  the  north  side  there 
shall  be  twenty  boards. 

21  And  their  forty  sockets  of  sil- 
ver ;  two  sockets  under  one  board, 
and  two  sockets  under  another 
board. 

22  And  for  the  sides  of  the  tab- 
look  like  the  rounds  of  a  ladder.  The 
tenons  at  the  bottom  of  each  board 
we  suppose  to  have  been  additional  to 
these.  Still  it  must  be  admitted  that 
this  interpretation  is  not  quite  certam. 
The  matter  is  left  to  the  judgment  of 
the  reader.  The  annexed  cut  may  be 
considered  as  a  probable  approximation 
to  a  correct  idea  of  the  position  of  the 
boards,  tenons,  and  sockets.  The  differ- 
ent parts  will  be  readily  distinguished. 


Boards  and  Sockets. 


19.  Forty  sockets  of  silver.  Heb. 
t)D5  *1D1X  adne  keseph,  bases  of  silver; 
implying  doubtless  the  supporting  sock- 
ets of  the  tenons,  as-the  true  import  of 
llii  cdcn  is  a  base  or  supporter.  Each 
of  these  sockets  was  composed  of  a 
talent  of  silver,  and  every  two  of  them 
joined  together  equalled  in  length  t!ie 
width  of  one  of  the  planks,  and  so  form- 
ed, when  united,  one  entire  foundation, 
which,  in  the  technical  language  of  the 
architects,  may  be  termed  a  silver 
grounds  ill. 


20,  21.  And  for  the  second  side,  &c 
These  two  verses  amount  to  nothing 
more  than  a  direction,  that  the  con- 
struction of  the  north  side  of  the  Taber- 
nacle should  exactly  correspond  with 
that  of  the  south. 

22.  For  the  sides  of  the  tabernacle 
westivnrd.  Heb.  JmS'^'i  yarkoth.  This 
term  wlien  applied  to  things  inanimate 
usually  denotes  an  end,  a  term,  an  €x- 
tremity,  and  is  doubtless  so  to  be  under- 
stood here,  as  we  find  it  occasionally 
rendered  in   the   Gr.  cvxara,    extreme 


126 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


ernacle  westward  thou  shalt  make 
six  boards. 

23  And  two  boards  shalt  thou 
make  for  the  corners  of  the  taber- 
nacle in  the  two  sides. 

24  And  they  shall  be  coupled  to- 
gether beneath,  and  they  shall  be 
coupled  together  above  the  head 
of  it  unto  one  ring :  thus  shall  it 
be  for  them  both;  they  shall  be 
for  the  two  corners. 

25  And  they  shall  be  eight  boards, 
and  their  sockets  of  silver,  sixteen 
sockets;  two  sockets  under  one 
board,  and  two  sockets  under  ano- 
ther board. 

26  ^  And  thou  shalt  make  bars 

parts.  The  idiomatic  plural  term  'sides' 
therefore  is  here  equivalent  to  '  end.' 
So  it  is  distinctly  interpreted  both  in 
the  Targum  of  Onkelos  and  Jonathan. 

23,  24.  Two  boards  shalt  thou  make 
for  the  corners.  These  two  verses  are 
involved  in  an  obscurity  which  we  liave 
endeavored  in  vain  to  penetrate.  The 
reader  must  be  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  to  imagine  such  a  construc- 
tion of  the  corners  as  tlie  general  plan 
and  objects  of  the  building  would  ad- 
mit or  require.  The  original  word  for 
'  coupled'  literally  signifies  '  twinned' 
or  '  made  like  twins,'  i.  e.  exactly  alike  ; 
but  beyond  this  we  are  unable  to  afford 
him  any  light.  Sliould  he  obtain  it 
from  other  commentators,  he  will  be 
more  fortunate  than  ourselves.  Our  in- 
ability, however,  to  make  out  satis- 
factorily this  part  of  the  structure  de- 
tracts nothing  from  the  accuracy  of  the 
explanations  of  tlie  rest. 

25.  They  shall  he  eight  boards.  The 
two  corner  boards  being  added  to  the 
six  others  made  up  the  complement  of 
eight. 

26.  Thou  shalt  make  bars.  The  south 
and  north  sides,  and  the  west  end  of 
the  Tabernacle  had  five  gold-covered 
bars,  each  of  which  were  carried  through 
rings  or  staples  of  gold,  but  what  the 


of  shittim-wood ;  five  for  the 
boards  of  the  one  side  of  the  tab- 
ernacle, 

27  And  five  bars  for  the  boards  of 
the  other  side  of  the  tabernacle, 
and  five  bars  for  the  boards  of  the 
sides  of  the  tabernacle,  for  the  two 
sides  westward. 

28  And  the  middle  bar  in  the 
midst  of  the  boards  shall  reach 
from  end  to  end. 

29  And  thou  shalt  overlay  the 
boards  with  gold,  and  make  their 
rings  of  gold  for  places  for  the  bars, 
and  thou  shalt  overlay  the  bars 
with  gold. 

30  And  thou  shalt  rear  up  the  tab- 
length  of  these  bars  was,  is  not  said. 
The  middle  ones,  indeed,  on  the  differ- 
ent sides  and  end,  were  appointed  to  be 
of  the  whole  length,  or  thirty  cubits  on 
the  north  and  south  sides,  and  ten  cubits 
at  the  west  end  ;  wliich  was  probably 
sunk  into  the  boards,  and  ran  along  a 
groove  from  end  to  end,  at  five  cubits 
from  the  ground.  The  other  four  bars, 
which  Josephus  says  were  each  five 
cubits  long,  were  perhaps  variously  dis- 
posed on  the  sides  and  end  of  the  struc- 
ture in  such  a  way  as  to  conduce  at 
once  most  effectually  to  its  beauty  and 
strength.  Having  no  certain  informa- 
tion as  to  the  precise  manner  in  which 
the  four  were  disposed  along  the  sides 
we  have  represented  them  in  our  cut  as 
arranged  uniformly  with  the  middle 
one.  It  is  ol)viously  a  matter  of  little 
importance.  In  the  phrase,  'for  the 
two  sides  westward,'  the  plural  is  prob- 
ably put  for  the  singular,  as  it  was  the 
end  in  wiiich  the  two  sides  terminated. 

29.  Thou  shalt  overlay  the  boards 
with  gold.  We  are  thrown  upon  our 
own  conjectures  as  to  tlie  tliickness  of 
the  metal  by  which  the  boards  and  bars 
were  overlaid.  If  it  Vv-ere  done  with 
gold  plates,  they  must  have  been  ex- 
tremely thin,  as  otherwise  the  weight 
would  have  been  altogether  too  great  to 


R  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


127 


ernacle  d  according  to  the  fashion 
thereof  which  was  shewed  thee  in 
the  mount. 

31  1[  And  e  thou  shalt  make  a 
vail  of  blue,  and  purple,  and  scar- 
let, and  fine  twined  linen  of  cun- 

d  ch.  25.  9,  40.  &.  27.  8.  Acts  7.  44.  Heb.  8. 
5.  e  ch.  36.  35-  Lev.  1»3.  2.  2  Chron.  3.  14. 
Matt.  27.51.  llebr.  9.  3. 

allow  of  their  having  been  carried  but 
with  the  utmost  difficulty.  We  pre- 
sume, therefore,  that  they  were  rather 
gilded  than  plated.  Such  a  thin  coat- 
ing would  no  doubt  have  been  liable  to 
be  easily  worn  off,  but  it  could  as  easily 
be  repaired. 

THE   PARTITION- VAIL. 

31 .  Thou  shall  make  a  vail,  &;c.  Heb. 

JnlDlQ    paroketh.       Gr.     KaraTrcTairna^     CI 

vail,  a  spreading.  The  etymology  of 
the  original  term  is  doubtful,  though 
we  find  in  the  Chaldee  ^^5  perak,  to 
break,  rend  apart,  forcibly  separate, 
and  tlS'^5  according  to  Parkhurst  is 
applied  to  the  inner  Vail  from  its  break- 
ing, interrupting,  or  dividing  between 
the  Holy  and  Most  Holy  Place.  This 
Vail  was  undoubtedly  of  the  same  ma- 
terial with  the  inner  set  of  curtains, 
and  figured  and  embroidered  in  the  same 
manner.  And  as  it  constituted,  when 
hanging  down,  the  lining  of  one  side  of 
both  the  Holy  and  Most  Holy  Place,  it 
goes  somewhat,  perhaps,  to  confirm  our 
suggestion  above  relative  to  the  po- 
sition of  the  wrought  linen  curtains  of 
the  Tabernacle,  as  hanging  within  the 
edifice  instead  of  without ;  for  this 
would  make  the  adorning  of  the  whole 
interior  uniform  throughout.  The  Vail 
was  to  be  suspended  from  golden  hooks 
attached  to  four  pillars  of  shittim-wood 
resting,  like  the  boards,  upon  an  equal 
number  of  silver  sockets.  And  this,  by 
the  way,  leads  us  to  remark,  that  the 
punctuation  of  our  English  Bibles  con- 
veys an  idea  entirely  erroneous,  viz., 
that  the  hooks  were  to  be  placed  upon 
the  silver  sockets.    But  these  .sockets 


ningwork:  with  cherubims  shall 
it  be  made. 

32  And  thou  shalt  hang  it  upon 
four  pillars  of  shittim-it'oo^  over- 
laid with  gold:  their  hooks  shall 
he  o/gold  upon  the  four  sockets  of 
silver. 

33  II  And  thou  shalt  hang  up  the 

were  unquestionably  at  the  bottom  of 
the  pillars,  and  the  clause,  '  their  hooks 
shall  be  of  gold,'  ought  to  be  inclosed 
in  a  parenthesis,  as  it  is  in  the  old  Geneva 
veision ;  'And  thou  shalt  hang  it  upon 
four  pillars  of  shittim-wood  covered 
with  gold  (whose  hooks  shall  be  of 
gold),  standing  upon  four  sockets  of 
silver.'  It  was  the  pillars  and  not 
the  hooks  that  stood  upon  the  silver 
sockets. 

33.  Shalt  hang  up  the  vail  tinder  the 
taches.  That  is,  under  the  golden  clasps 
that  connected  the  two  larger  hangings 
of  the  inner  curtain,  spoken  of  above, 
V.  6.  These  were  joined  just  over  the 
dividing  line  between  the  two  rooms  of 
the  Tabernacle,  so  that  this  separat- 
ing vail  hung  exactly  under  the  taches 
or  clasps.  It  does  not  appear  from  any 
express  passage  of  Scripture,  in  what 
proportions  the  interior  of  the  Taber- 
nacle was  divided.  But  as  Solomon's 
Temple,  of  sixty  cubits  in  length,  was 
divided  into  two  parts  of  forty  and 
twenty,  so  it  is  highly  probable  that 
the  thirty  cubits  in  length  of  the  Taber- 
nacle was  divided  into  similar  propor- 
tions of  twenty  cubits  for  the  Holy,  and 
ten  for  the  Most  Holy  Place,  making 
the  latter  a  perfect  cube  of  ten  cubits 
every  way.  This  accounts,  as  we  have 
before  intimated,  for  the  remarkable 
feature  in  the  description  of  the  heaven- 
ly city,  mentioned  Rev.  21.  16,  to  wit, 
that  it  lay  four  square,  the  length, 
breadth,  and  height  of  it  being  equal. 
This  was  because  it  answered  to  its 
type  the  Holy  of  Holies.  In  the  Holy 
Place,  into  which  none  but  the  priests 
were  allowed  to  enter,  were  stationed 


128 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


vail  under  the  taclies,  that  thou 
mayest  bring  in  thither  within  the 
vail  fthe  ark  of  the  testimony:  and 
the  vail  shall  divide  unto  you  be- 
tween g  the  holy  place  and  the 
most  holy. 
34  And  h  thou  shalt  put  the  mer- 

f  ch.  25.  16.  &  40.  21.  S  Lev.  16.  2.  Ilebr. 
9.  2,  3.     h  ch.  25.  21.  &  40.  20.  Hebr.  9.  5. 

the  Candlestick,  the  Table  of  Shew- 
bread,  and  the  Altar  of  Incense.  In 
the  Most  Holy,  into  which  none  but 
the  High  Priest  could  enter,  and  he  but 
once  a  year,  was  deposited  only  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant  or  Testimony,  with 
its  surmounting  Mercy-seat. 

The  special  design  of  this  Vail  was 
to  debar  the  people  from  entering,  or 
even  looking,  into  the  Most  Holy  Place, 
or  place  of  the  Ark,  and  the  reason  of 
this  rigid  exclusion  acquaints  us  at  once 
with  the  general  mystical  import  of 
Vail,  as  a  part  of  the  apparatus  of  the 
Tabernacle.  On  this  point  we  have 
happily  the  apostle  Paul  as  the  angelus 
interpres.  Heb.  9.  6 — 9,  '  Now  when 
these  things  were  thus  ordained,  the 
priests  went  always  into  the  first  taber- 
nacle (the  first  or  outer  room),  accom- 
plishing the  service  of  God:  but  into 
the  second  went  the  high  priest  alone 
once  every  year,  not  without  blood, 
which  he  offered  for  himself,  and  for 
the  errors  of  the  people :  the  Holy 
Ghost  this  signifying,  that  the  way  into 
the  holiest  of  all  was  not  yet  made 
manifest,  while  as  the  first  tabernacle 
was  yet  standing:  which  was  a  figure 
for  the  lime  then  present.'  In  other 
words,  the  Avay  into  the  true  heaven,  of 
which  the  inner  sanctuary  was  a  type, 
was  not  laid  open  under  the  old  econo- 
my, or  by  means  of  any  of  its  services, 
but  remained  to  be  opened  by  Christ, 
©f  whom  it  is  said,  v.  24,  that  he  '  is 
not  entered  into  the  holy  places  made 
with  hands,  which  are  the  figures  of  the 
true  ;  but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  ap- 
pear in  the  presence  of  God  for  us.' 


cy-seat  upon  the  ark  of  the  testi- 
mony in  the  most  holy  place. 
35  And  Uhou  shalt  set  the  table 
without  the  vail,  and  k  the  candle- 
stick over  against  the  table  on  the 
side  of  the  tabernacle  toward  the 
south :  and  thou  shalt  put  the  table 
on  the  north  side. 

i  ch.  40.  22.  Hebr.  9.  2.     k  ch.  40.  24. 

But  this  does  not  yet  exhaust  the  preg- 
nant import  of  the  Mosaic  symbols. 
Still  farther  light  is  thrown  upon  it, 
Heb.  10.  19,  20,  'Having  therefore, 
brethren,  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holi- 
est by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and 
living  way,  which  he  hath  consecrat- 
ed for  us,  through  the  vail,  that  is 
to  say,  his  flesh,  let  us  draw  near.' 
Here  it  is  clear  that  the  Vail  is  repre- 
sented as  in  some  way  shadowing  forth 
the  flesh  or  body  of  Christ,  although  it 
is  perhaps  at  first  view  difficult  to  avoid 
an  impression  of  incongruity  in  the 
imagery.  What  is  Christ's  flesh  or 
body  but  himself?  And  how  can  he  be 
described  as  the  person  entering,  and 
yet  he  himself  the  medium  through 
which  the  entrance  is  made  ?  But  a 
right  view  of  the  glorious  constitution 
of  Christ's  person  as  God-man  Medi- 
ator, and  of  the  prominent  place  which 
he  holds  as  the  soul  and  centre  and  sub- 
stance of  nearly  every  part  of  the  typ- 
ical economy,  will  afford  a  clue  to  the 
solution  of  the  problem.  We  have  pre- 
riously  shown,  if  we  mistake  not,  in 
our  remarks  upon  the  Cloudy  Pillar, 
and  upon  the  Shekinah  in  general,  that 
that  splendid  symbol  pointed  directly 
to  Christ  as  the  central  mystery  which 
it  involved.  As  the  sombre  folds  of 
the  guiding  Cloud  in  the  wilderness  en- 
shrouded the  Glory  of  Jehovah,  except 
when  occasional  displays  of  it  were 
made,  so  the  human  nature  or  body  of 
Christ,  while  he  tabernacled  on  earth, 
served  as  a  kind  of  temporary  invelope 
or  vail  of  the  divine  nature  which  dwelt 
within.    This  mystic  cloud  or  vail  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTEll  XXVI. 


129 


36  And  1  thou  shalt  make  an  hang- 
ing for  the  door  of  the  tent,  of  blue, 

1  ch.  36.  37. 


his  flesh  we  suppose  to  have  been  tran- 
siently rent  or  cloven  at  his  transfigura- 
tion, and  a  momentary  display  made  of 
the  indwelling  glory  of  his  Godhead. 
But  this  was  not  designed  to  be  perma- 
nent ;  it  was  only  an  evanescent  gleam 
vouchsafed  to  the  outward  senses,  for  the 
greater  inward  assurance,  of  his  select 
disciples,  in  respect  to  the  essential  dig- 
nity and  divinity  of  his  character,  and 
to  connect  his  person  not  only  with  the 
truth  of  the  ancient  visible  Shekinah,  but 
also  with  that  future  foretold  theophany, 
which  is  to  constitute  the  beatific  vision 
in  heaven.    It  was  only  at  his  death, 
when  his  '  body  was  broken'  for  the 
sins  of  the  world,  that  this  intervening 
cloud  or  vail  was  entirely  rent,  dis- 
solved, and  done  away,  and  a  way  thus 
opened  for  the  free  manifestation  of  his 
glory    and    majesty    to    all    believers, 
whether  Jews  or  Gentiles.    Now  it  is 
well  known  that  after  the  Cloudy  Pillar 
was  removed  from  the  sight  of  Israel, 
subsequent  to  the  rearing  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, and  the  indwelling  Shekinah  had 
taken  up  its  abode  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,, 
the  separating  Vail  served  to  conceal 
the   supernatural   Brightness  from  the 
view,  just  as  the  dark  mass  of  the  Cloud 
had  done  prior  to  that  event.    Conse- 
quently as  the  Vail  of  the  Tabernacle 
was  to  the  inner  abiding  Glory  what  the 
Savior's  flesh  was  to  his  indwelling  Di- 
vinity, it  was  ordered  that  at  the  same 
time  that  the  vail  of  his  flesh  was  rent 
upon  the  cross,  the  corresponding  Vail 
of  the  Temple  was  '  rent  in  twain  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom,'  implying  that  a 
blessed  way  of  access  was  now  provided 
into  the  interior  of  the  heavenly  sanc- 
tuary, of  which  the  grand  characteristic 
is,  that  it  is  to  have  '  the  Glory  of  God,' 
and  from  thence  to  receive  its  denomin- 
ation, 'Jehovah-Shammah,'  the  Lord  is 
there.    The  truth  is,  that  Christ  sus- 


and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  fine 
twined  linen,  wrought  with  needle- 
work. 

tains  so  many  offices  in  the  plan  of  re- 
demption, and  he  is  presented  to  us  in 
the  ancient  symbols  in  such  a  manifold 
variety  of  aspects,  that  we  are  not  to 
be  surprised  if  we  should  find  in  the 
apostolic  explanations  a  blending  of  im- 
port that  even  approximates  to  some- 
thing  like  confusion.  Who  can  doubt 
that  in  the  priestly  service  the  High 
Priest  himself,  the  Sacrifice,  and  the 
Altar,  all  found  their  substance  in 
Christ  ?  In  like  manner,  may  not  the 
Vail  and  the  inner  Presence  both  point 
also  to  him? 

THE   ENTRANCE-VAIL. 

36.  Thou  shalt  make  an  hanging  for 
the  door.  Reh.  y::}2  masak,from  "CDQ 
sakak,  to  overspread,  to  cover,  denoting 
in  general  tegumentum,  operimentum., 
a  covering,  any  thing  spread  over;  but 
here  applied  to  the  vail  or  curtain  which 
hung  over  the  entrance  to  the  Taberna- 
cle, and  formed  its  outer-door.  Oriental 
usages  still  furnish  something  analo- 
gous to  this.  <We  passed  Lahar,'  says 
Morier,  '  close  to  a  small  valley,  where 
we  found  several  snug  encampments  ot 
the  Eelauts,  at  one  of  which  we  stopped 
to  examine  the  tent  of  the  chief  of  the 
obah,  or  family.  It  was  composed  of  a 
wooden  frame  of  circular  laths,  which 
were  fixed  on  the  ground,  and  then 
covered  over  with  large  felts,  that  were 
fastened  down  by  a  cord,  ornamented 
by  tassels  of  various  colors.  A  curtain, 
curiously  worked  by  the  women,  with 
coarse  needle-work  of  various  colors, 
was  suspended  over  the  door.  In  the 
king  of  Persia's  tents,  magnificent  per- 
dahs,  or  hangings  of  needle-work,  are 
suspended,  as  well  as  on  the  doors  of 
the  great  mosques  in  Turkey.'  This 
Vail  was  suspended  on  five  pillars, 
overlaid  with  gold,  at  the  east  end  of 
the  sanctuary ;  and  though  of  the  samp 


130 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


37  And  thou  shalt  make  for  the 
hanging  mfive  pillars  of  shittim- 
wood^  and  overlay  them  with  gold, 


m  ch.  36.  38. 


rich  material  with  the  inner  Vail,  yet  it 
seems  to  have  been  less  highly  orna- 
mented,  as  the  Jewish  writers  affirm 
that  there  was  a  difference  between  the 
work  of  the  '  cunning  workman'  men- 
tioned V.  1,  and  that  of  the  '■  embroider- 
er' mentioned  here,  which  consisted  in 
this ;  that  in  the  former,  the  figures 
were  so  wrought,  perhaps  in  weaving, 
that  they  might  be  seen  on  both  sides 
of  the  work  j  but  in  the  latter,  being 
wrought  by  needle-work,  they  were  on- 
ly visible  on  one  side.  Accordingly, 
while  the  Cherubic  figure  was  wrought 
in  one,  we  find  no  intimation  of  it  in 
the  other.  As  it  was  solely  by  raising 
or  turning  aside  this  Vail,  that  the  priest 
entered  the  Tabernacle,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  term  'door'  in  our  translation 
is  not  to  be  taken  in  its  ordinary  sense, 
nor  is  the  original  strictly  equivalent 
to  '  thou  shalt  make  a  hanging  as  a 
door  for  the  tent ;'  for  the  Heb.  T\k'\D 
pethah,  as  remarked  in  the  Note  on 
Gen.  19.  6,  signifies  properly  the  ope7i 
space  or  passage-way  which  is  usually 
closed  by  the  doo7-,  and  the  meaning 
here  is  simply,  '  thou  shalt  make  a 
hanging/o7-  the  entrance-way.'  'This  is 
the  more  material,'  says  Wells  (Intro- 
duction to  Paraphrase,  p.  47),  'to  be  tak- 
en notice  of,  because  the  said  rendering 
of  the  Hebrew  word  by  a  door,  not  only 
gives  the  reader  a  wrong  notion  of  the 
entrance  itself  into  the  Tabernacle,  but 
also  thereby  hinders  him  from  having  a 
clear  perception  of  the  reason  of  several 
rites  and  expressions  referring  to  the 
said  entrance  of  the  Tabernacle.  For 
instance,  what  was  done  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Tabernacle,  is  expressly  said  in 
many  places  of  Scripture  to  be  done 
'before  the  Lord,'  as  Ex.  29.  11—42. 
Lev.  1.  3,  &c.  Insomuch,  that  where 
a  thing  is  said  to  be  done  only  *  before 


and  their  hooks  shall  be  of  gold : 
and  ihou  shalt  cast  five  sockets  of 
brass  for  them. 


the  Lord,'  thereby  expositors  under- 
stand it  generally  of  its  being  done  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Tabernacle  or  the 
like,  justly  looking  on  these  expressions 
as  equivalent  generally  in  Scripture,  be- 
cause they  are  often  so  joined  together 
as  one  and  the  same  thing.  Now  the 
reason,  why  these  two  expressions  came 
to  be  thus  equivalent  I  take  to  be  this. 
It  was  looked  on  as  a  piece  of  state 
and  majesty  by  the  eastern  princes, 
seldom  to  vouchsafe  the  honor  of  com- 
ing near  to  their  presence  to  any  but 
their  great  courtiers  ;  and  when  they 
were  pleased  to  vouchsafe  the  great 
honor  of  commg  into  their  presence  or 
before  them  to  any  others  on  special 
and  extraordinary  occasions,  they  them- 
selves were  wont  then  to  sit  on  their 
thrones,  which  was  covered  with  a  caur 
opy  over  it,  and  encompassed  all  round 
with  fine  curtains ;  not  drawn  quite 
close,  but  so  as  that  they  could  see 
easily  those  that  were  admitted  thus 
into  their  presence,  through  the  small 
spaces  left  between  the  curtains  ;  but 
the  others  could  have  but  a  small,  if 
any,  glimpse,  of  their  majesties  or  the 
inside  of  the  thrones  they  sat  on.  Agree- 
ably hereto  the  whole  Tabernacle  in 
this  case  was  to  be  looked  on  as  the 
throne  of  the  Divine  Majesty  here  on 
earth.  And  consequently  when  any 
were  to  be  admitted  to  the  honor  of  ap- 
pearing more  immediately  before  the 
Lord,  he  was  to  appear  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Tabernacle,  as  before  the  throne 
of  the  Divine  Majesty;  from  within 
which  the  Divine  Majesty  was  conceiv- 
ed in  a  special  and  gracious  manner  to 
see  or  look  on  the  person  that  so  ap- 
peared before  him ;  though  the  said  per- 
son could  not  see  the  Divine  Majesty,  or 
have  any  more  than  perhaps  a  glimpse 
of  the  inside  of  his  throne  or  of  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


131 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

AND  thou  shalt  make  »  an  altar 
of   shittim-Avood,  five  cubits 

•1  ch.  33.  1.  Ezek.43.  13. 

Tabernacle,  by  reason  of  ihe  Vail  hang- 
ing afore  the  entrance  of  it.  And  whore- 
as  it  is  one  piece  of  reverence  not  to 
turn  one^s  hack^  but  to  stand  with  one^s 
face,  toward  any  great  person,  espe- 
cially kings  ;  in  like  manner  he  that  ap- 
peared before  the  Lord,  stood  with  his 
face  toward  the  entrance  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, as  being  the  forepart  of  the  throne 
of  the  Divine  Majesty,  and  consequently 
by  so  doing  he  was  conceived  to  stand 
with  his  face  toward  the  Divine  Majesty 
itself.  But  now  all  this  agreement  be- 
tween the  manner  of  appearing  before 
the  Lord,  as  it  is  called  in  Scripture, 
and  of  appearing  before  earthly  princes, 
in  those  eastern  countries,  to  which  the 
former  referred,  is  much  obscured  by  re- 
presenting the  entrance  into  the  Taber- 
nacle as  through  a  door.''  Josephus  in- 
forms us  that  besides  the  Vail  of  linen 
here  described  there  was  another  of 
coarser  fabric  hung  over  the  first  to  de- 
fend it  from  injuries  of  the  weather, 
and  that  upon  festival  occasions  this 
was  drawn  aside  or  rolled  up  that  the 
people  might  see  the  exquisite  beauty 
of  the  workmanship  of  the  first ;  a  sug- 
gestion which  we  deem  altogether  prob- 
able. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   ALTAR   OF   SACRIFICE. 

1.  Thou  shalt  make  an  altar.  Heb. 
TOt?3  mizbeah.  Gr.  Ovcnncrripiov,  sacri- 
ficatory;  both  appellations  being  de- 
rived from  a  term  signifying  to  sacri- 
fice. On  the  general  import  of  the 
term  see  Note  on  Ex.  20.  24.  This 
altar  was  a  sort  of  square  chest  of  shit- 
tim  wood  overlaid  with  brass.  It  was 
five  cubits  long  by  five  broad,  and  three 
in  height  (about  three  yards  square 
and  five  feet  high),  and  had  a  horn  or  i 


long,  and  five  cubits  broad ;  the  altar 
shall  be  four  square:  and  the  height 
thereof  shall  he  three  cubits. 
2  And  thou  shalt  make  the  horns 

projection  at  each  corner.  It  was  hol- 
low within,  and  in  the  middle  of  its  sur- 
face was  a  sunk  grating  of  brass  to  sup- 
port the  fire,  which  was  furnished  with 
four  rings,  that  it  might  be  taken  out 
and  carried  separately  from  the  body 
of  the  altar.  The  ashes  from  the  fire 
sunk  through  the  grating,  and  were 
taken  thence  in  a  pan  made  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  altar  had  four  rings  or  staples 
at  the  sides,  into  which  poles  of  shittim 
wood  covered  with  brass  were  inserted 
when  the  altar  was  to  be  moved  from 
place  to  place.  This  is  the  account  which 
seems  to  agree  best  with  the  text,  al- 
though some  of  the  details  have  been 
differently  understood  by  various  ex- 
positors. It  is  thought  that  both  this 
altar  and  the  larger  one  made  by  Solo- 
mon, by  which  it  was  superseded,  had 
the  lower  part  of  the  hollow  filled  up 
either  with  earth  or  stones,  in  compli- 
ance with  the  injunction  in  chap.  20. 
24,  25.  Josephus  says,  that  the  altar 
used  in  his  time  at  the  Temple  was  of 
unhewn  stone,  and  that  no  iron  tool 
had  been  employed  in  its  construction. 
None  of  the  altars  whioh  the  Scripture 
assigns  to  either  the  Tabernacle  or 
Temple  were  of  this  construction,  but 
that  erected  at  Mount  Ebal  by  Joshua 
was  so  (Josh.  8.  31),  and  apparently 
others  which  were  set  up  in  different 

parts    of   the    land    of   promise. 

ir  Thou  shalt  make  the  horns  of  it. 
Heb.  tl2^p  karnoth.  Gr.  Kepara.  The 
horns  of  the  Altar  have  given  scope  to 
voluminous  discussion,  both  as  regards 
their  form  and  their  design.  They 
were  certainly  projections  of  some  kind 
or  other  at  the  four  corners,  but  their 
precise  shape,  or  even  the  direction  in 
which  they  projected,  cannot  be  dis- 
tinctly collected  from  the  sacred  text. 
By  many  it  is  supposed  that  they  were 


132 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


of  it  upon  the  four  corners  thereof: 
his  horns  shall  be  of  the  same :  and 
b  thou  shalt  overlay  it  with  brass. 
3  And  thou  shalt  make  his  pans 

I'  See  Numb.  16.  38. 

actually  horn-shaped,  and  this  opinion 
is  supported  by  the  authority  of  Jose- 
phus  as  to  the  Altar  used  in  his  time. 
But  the  opinion  seems  preferable  that 
they  were  square  risings,  or  pinnacles, 
from  each  corner  of  the  Altar  ;  or  square 
to  half  their  height,  and  terminating 
pyramidically  in  a  sharp  tip  or  point. 
Tile  descriptions  given  by  the  Rabbins, 
and  the  pictures  of  the  most  ancient 
altars  go  to  confirm  this  view  of  their 
form.  We  are  no  more  certain  as  to 
the  use  of  this  appendage  to  the  Altar, 
than  as  to  its  form.  It  is  inferred  by 
some  from  Ps.  118.  27,  'bind  the  sacri- 
fice with  cords  to  the  horns  of  the  Al- 
tar,' that  these  appendages  were  de- 
signed for  the  purpose  of  fastening  the 
victim  to  the  Altar  before  it  was  slain. 
But  of  this  there  is  little  probability, 
as  the  incense-altar,  at  which  no  bloody 
sacrifices  were  offered,  also  had  horns  ; 
and  there  is  nothing  in  all  Jewish  an- 
tiquity to  favor  the  idea  of  the  victims 
being  ordinarily  thus  secured  and  slain 
immediately  contiguous  to  the  Altar. 
Of  the  passagfi  just  cited  the  best  inter- 
pretation is  perhaps  that  of  Rabbi  D. 
Kimchi,  given  in  the  following  para- 
phrase ;  '  Bring  the  sacrifices  bound 
with  cords  until  (from  their  great  num- 
ber) they  shall  have  reached  even  to 
the  horns  of  the  Altar.'  The  Psalmist 
is  supposed  to  have  commanded  so  large 
a  sacrifice,  that  the  victims  should  even 
crowd  the  outer  court,  and  press  up 
against  the  very  Altar.  The  Chaldee 
gives  a  somewhat  different  construc- 
tion ;  'Tie  the  lamb,  that  is  to  be  offer- 
ed, with  cords,  till  ye  come  to  offer 
him;  and  sprinkle  his  blood  upon  the 
horns  of  the  Altar.'  Either  of  them, 
however,  are  preferable  to  the  sense 
yielded  by  our  translation.    The  probr 


to  receive  his  ashes,  and  his  shov- 
els, and  his  basons,  and  his  flesh- 
hooks,  and  his  fire-pans:  all  the 
vessels  thereof  thou  shalt  make 
of  brass. 

ability  on  the  whole  is,  that  these  pro- 
tuberances had  some  connexion  with  the 
use  of  horns  as  symbols  of  sovereignty, 
glory,  power,  strength.  Ilab.  3.  4,  'He 
had  horns  coming  out  of  his  hands,  and 
there  was  the  biding  of  his  power.''  But 
we  shall  have  more  to  say  upon  this 
point  in  the  sequel. 

3,  His  pans  to  receive  his  ashes,  Heb, 
T^ri^*iD  sirothauv;  a  word  Avhich  sig- 
nifies either  pots  or  pans,  but  which  is 
here  doubtless  to  be  taken  in  the  latter 
sense,  as  appears  from  the  specified  use 
to  which  they  were  applied.  The  orig- 
inal term,  liowever,  rendered  '  to  re- 
ceive his  ashes'  (1]^!^  ledashsheno) , 
signifies  rather  to  remove,  to  carry  out 
the  ashes  which  fell  from  the  grate  to 
the  earth  within  the  compass  of  the 
Altar,  The  pans  were  employed  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  up  these  ashes 
and  carrying  them  to  a  clean  place,  as 

we   learn  from  Lev.  4.   12. IT  His 

shovels.  "X^'S"^  yaauv .  The  radical  HS^'i 
yadh  has  a  sense  so  near  that  of  coU 
lecting  together  by  scraping,  that  some 
of  the  older  interpreters  liave  rendered 
the  present  word  by  besoms  or  brooms. 
But  as  they  were  made  of  brass,  that 
rendering  is  obviously  untenable,  and 
we  are  warranted  in  understanding  by 
the  term  the  fire-shovels  by  which  the 
ashes  were  scraped  together  in  a  heap, 

and  then  thrown  into  the    pans. 

IT  His  basons.  Heb.  T^np'lT^  mizre- 
kothauv,  sprinkling  vessels.  Gr.  Ta( 
(pia\ai  avrovj  his  vials.  The  term  comes 
from  p'lT  zarak,  to  sprinkle,  and  prop- 
erly denotes  the  vessels  or  bowls  into 
which  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices  was 
received,  that  it  might  thence  be 
sprinkled  on  the  people,  on  the  horns 

of  the  Altar,  &c. ir  His  flesh-hooks. 

Heb.  ^T^ri^^t^a  mizlegothaxiv.    Gr.  rai 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


133 


4  And  thou  shall  make  for  it  a 
grate  of  net-work  of  brass;  and 
upon  the  net  shall  thou  make  four 


Kpeaypai  avryv,  defined  by  the  Lexicons 
hooked  instruments  for  drawing  out  the 
meal;  i.  e.  for  picking  up  and  replacing 
any  portion  of  the  sacrifice  which  may 
have  fallen  out  of  the  fire,  or  off  from 
the  Altar,  Probably  no  more  suitable 
word  could  be  adopted  by  which  to 
render  it  than  the  one  chosen  by  our 
translators,  Jlesh-hooks.  By  its  bemg 
rendered  tridents  in  some  of  the  old 
versions,  we  infer  that  it  was  a  three- 
pronged  instrument  in  the  form  of  a 
curved  fork.  We  may  gather  some- 
what more  respecting  its  use  from  1 
Sam.  2.  13,  14,  'And  the  priest's  cus- 
tom with  the  people  was,  that  when 
any  man  offered  sacrifice,  the  priest's 
servant  came,  while  the  flesh  was  in 
seething,  with  a  flesh-hook  (3^T^  maz- 
leg)  of  three  teeth  in  his  hand  ;  and  he 
struck  it  into  the  pan,  or  kettle,  or  cal- 
dron, or  pot ;  all  that  the  flesh-hook 
(3^1)2  mazleg)  brought  up  the  priest 
took  for  himself.  So  they  did  in  Shi- 
loh  unto  all  the  Israelites  that  came 
thither.'  The  Heb.  ^^Dt  zalag  has  the 
general  import  of  curvature  or  crooked- 
ness of  form,  and  it  is  a  little  remark- 
able that,  as  Bochart  has  observed,  the 
ancient  name  of  Messina  in  Sicily  was 
Zankle  (ZayxXn)  from  its  resemblance 
to  a  sickle  which  Thucydides  says  they 
called  zanklon  (^ayxXoi^);  whence  Ovid 
(Trist.  L.  IV.)  speaking  of  the  same 
city,  says, 

Quiqiie  locus  curves  nomina  falcis  habet. 

The  place  that's  from  the  crooked  sickle 
named. 

The  Greek  word  is  no  doubt  of  Punic  or 
Phoenician  and  not  Sicilian  origin,  form- 
ed by  transposing  the  letters  3  (g)  and 
^  (1).  To  the  same  root  is  probably  to 
be  traced  the  Gr.  o-voXiof  crooked  and 
ffKuXrivoc  scalene,  and  also  the  English 

sickle. IT  His  fire-pans.  Heb.  1"inrin!0 

Vol.  II.         "    12 


brazen  rings   in  the  four  corners 
thereof. 
5  And  thou  shall  put  it  under  the 

mahtotliauv.  Gr.  -u  tto^eiov  avrov^  his 
fire-receptacle.  Bp.  Patrick's  explana- 
tion of  this  term  is  perhaps  the  most 
probable.  He  supposes  it  to  have  been 
*  a  larger  sort  of  vessel,  wherein  the  sa- 
cred fire,  which  came  down  from  heaven 
(Lev.  9.  24,)  was  kept  burning  whilst 
they  cleansed  the  Altar  and  the  grate 
from  the  coals  and  ashes  ;  and  while  the 
Altar  was  carried  from  one  place  to  an- 
other, as  it  often  was  in  the  wilder- 
ness.'  The  root  V>vr[  hathah  has  the 
import  o[  keeping  fire  alive  or  glowing, 
and  from  this  root  probably  comes  the 
Gr.  aido),  to  burn,  and  Eng.  heat  and  hot. 
4,  5.  Thou  shall.make  for  it  a  grate 
of  net-work  of  brass,  &c.  From  the 
phraseology  of  the  text  it  would  ap- 
pear, that  this  brazen  grating  was  let 
into  the  hollow  of  the  Altar,  and  sunk 
so  far  below  the  upper  surface  that  its 
bottom,  which  was  probably  convex, 
reached  to  midway  of  the  height  of  the 
Altar  ;  '  that  the  net  may  be  even  to  the 
midst  of  the  Altar.'  Being  thus  made 
of  net-work  like  a  sieve,  and  hung  hol- 
low, the  fire  would  burn  the  better,  and 
the  ashes  would  sift  through  into  the 
hollow  of  the  Altar,  from  whence  they 
were  removed  through  a  door  construct- 
ed for  the  purpose.  The  four  rings  at- 
tached to  the  corners  of  this  grated  par- 
tition were  for  the  purpose  of  lifting  it 
out  and  putting  it  in.  Some  of  the 
elder  commentators  have  suggested  that 
these  rings  were  connected  by  chains 
with  the  horns  of  the  Altar,  which  thus 
served  an  important  purpose  in  suspend- 
ing the  grate.  However  this  may  be  it  is 
altogether  probable  that  the  rings  fell 
within  the  compass  of  the  Altar  below 
the  top,  and  were  not  seen  without. 
Some  writers  have  been  much  censured 
by  a  fancied  difficulty  in  seeing  how 
the  wood-work  of  the  Altar  could  be 
kept  from  being  burnt,  when  exposed 


134 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


compass  of  the  altar  beneath,  that 
the  net  may  be  even  to  the  midst 
of  the  altar. 

6  And  thou  shalt  make  staves  for 
the  altar,  staves  of  shittim-wood, 
and  overlay  them  with  brass. 

7  And  the  staves  shall  be  put  into 

to  such  a  constant  heat.  But  nothing 
lorbids  the  supposition,  that  it  was 
cased  both  uithin  and  icithout  with 
plates  of  metal  ;  and  for  further  se- 
curity a  lining  of  stone  might  easily 
have  been  laid  within  against  the  sides 
of  the  frame,  and  as  the  grate  was  sus- 


the  rings,  and  the  staves  shall  be 
upon  the  two  sides  of  the  altar  to 
bear  it. 

8  Hollow  with  boards  shalt  thou 
make  it;  c  as  it  was  shewed  thee 
in  the  mount,  so  shall  they  make  it. 

cch.25.  40.  &26.  30. 


pended  by  the  rings,  and  the  fire  no- 
where in  contact  with  the  frame,  be- 
sides the  whole  being  under  the  coii' 
tinual  inspection  of  the  priests,  the 
danger  of  combustion  was  very  slight. 
The  annexed  cut  will  supersede  any- 
more minute  description. 


The  Altar  of  Sacrifice. 


In  pursuance  ol  our  general  plan,  it 
will  be  requisite  here  to  endeavor  to 
ascertain  the  typical  import  of  the  Al- 
tar of  Offering.  The  a  priori  presump- 
tion that  it  possessed  such  a  character 
will  be  seen  to  be  abundantly  confirmed 
by  the  evidence  now  to  be  adduced. 
This  evidence,  it  is  true,  is  seldom 
found  in  the  Scriptures  in  the  form  of 
direct  assertion,  but  in  the  way  o[ point- 
ed allusion  and  inference  it  is  perhaps 
equally  unequivocal.  And  this  remark 
holds  good  in  respect  to  many  of  the 
typical  objects,  persons,  and  institu- 
tions of  the  Mosaic  economy.  While 
they  are  not  expressly  affirmed  to  have 


represented  corresponding  realities  un- 
der the  gospel  dispensation,  yet  we  find 
our  Lord  and  his  apostles  arguing  in 
such  a  way  as  to  recognise  the  truth  of 
this  principle  of  typical  or  spiritual  in- 
terpretation. That  the  principle,  in  its 
practical  application,  may  be  and  has 
been  carried  to  the  wildest  and  most 
extravagant  extent  by  writers  of  imag- 
inative temperament,  is  but  too  obvious 
to  admit  of  question.  But  we  see  not 
why  this  fact  should  be  allowed  to  in- 
validate  the  soundness  of  the  principle 
itself.  Under  the  control  of  a  subdued 
and  sober  judgment,  it  is  a  principle 
which  may  be  safely  and  profitably  re- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


135 


cognised,  and  in  nothing  more  so  than 
in  reference  to  those  great  and  para- 
mount features  of  the  Mosaic  ritual 
which  we  are  now  considering.  Among 
these  the  Altar  of  Sacrifice  holds  too 
prominent  a  place  not  to  partake  in 
large  measure  of  that  typical  character 
which  pertained  to  the  sacrifices  them- 
selves, and  which  no  one  in  that  rela- 
tion thinks  of  questioning.  Let  us  see 
then  what  may  be  gathered  as  to  the 
spiritual  bearing  of  this  part  of  the 
legal  shadows. 

Of  the  preeminent  sanctity  which  at- 
tached to  the  Altar  by  divine  appoint- 
ment nothing  can  be  a  stronger  proof 
than  the  words  of  God  himself,  Ex.  29. 
37,  '  Seven  days  thou  shalt  make  an 
atonement  for  the  altar,  and  sanctify 
it;  and  it  shall  be  an  altar  most  holy: 
whatsoever  toucheth  the  altar  shall  be 
holy;'  or  rather  shall  become  holy,  shall 
be  sanctified.  Hence  the  declaration  of 
our  Savior,  that  '  the  altar  sanctifieth 
the  gift.'  This  then  is  an  important 
item  in  our  consideration  of  the  typical 
design  of  this  structure ;  it  pointed  to 
something  sustaining  a  character  of 
paramount  holi?iess,  and  this  character 
is  evidently  sustained  by  the  subject  of 
it  in  connexion  with  some  kind  of  me- 
diatorial function,  which  was,  with  one 
consent  attributed  by  the  ancient  Jew- 
ish writers  to  the  Altar  of  Burnt-ofFer- 
ings,  as  a  part  of  its  typical  uses.  In- 
deed they  expressly  denominated  it 
3>2Z)2?2n  njT?3  mizbeah  hammetzeah, 
the  mediator  altar,  and  as  intercession 
is  one  of  the  principal  offices  of  a  me- 
diator, it  was  also  called  tJ'i^p'ni}  pera- 
klit,  7ra,oa/c>)7rof,  paraclete,  advocate,  the 
same  word  which  Christ  applies  to  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  the  comforting  advocate 
whom  he  would  send  to  his  people  to 
supply  the  lack  of  his  own  presence, 
and  which  is  explained  in  the  Gemara  to 
mean  '  an  interpreter,  daysman,  or  kind 
intercessor  in  behalf  of  a  person  with 
the  king.'  This  view  of  the  subject 
does  notj  it  is  true,  rest  upon  express 


scriptural  authority,  but  it  is  altogether 
consistent  with  it,  and  rises  naturally 
out  of  the  ideas  which  its  local  position 
between  the  Presence  in  the  Taberna- 
cle and  the  people  in  the  Court,  and 
its  office  as  a  sacrificatory  suggested. 
Among  the  ancient  Orientals,  the  usages 
of  royalty  forbade  the  access  of  subjects 
of  common  rank  to  the  person  of  the 
king  without  the  offices  of  a  mediator, 
and  more  especially  to  those  who  had 
in  any  way  incurred  the  monarch's  dis- 
pleasure, of  Avhich.  a  striking  illustra- 
tion is  to  be  seen  in  the  case  of  Absa- 
lom, 2  Sam.  14.  32,  33.  That  the  Is- 
raelites habitually  ascribed  this  media' 
ting  or  reconciling  virtue  to  the  Altar, 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  although  we  may 
be  constrained  to  admit  that,  confound- 
ing the  type  with  the  antitype,  they 
blindly  ascribed  this  efficacy  to  the  ma- 
terial fabric,  instead  of  recognising  its 
ulterior  reference  to  another  Mediator 
'  of  higher  name,'  who  was  to  open  the 
way  of  access  to  the  Father  by  the  sa- 
crifice of  himself.  For  that  this  was 
in  fact  the  real  typical  purport  of  the 
Altar  of  sacrifice,  cannot  for  a  moment 
be  questioned  by  any  one  who  considers 
its  intrinsic  adaptedness  to  shadow 
forth  the  divine  substance  in  its  medi- 
atory relations  to  a  holy  God  and  of- 
fending sinners.  It  is  indeed  certam 
that  this  typical  design  both  of  the  Al- 
tar and  Sacrifices  offered  upon  it  points 
to  a  common  substance  which  we  recog- 
nise  in  the  person  and  offices  of  Christ, 
but  a  discrimination  may  still  be  made 
between  what  is  more  immediately  ap- 
plicable to  the  one  and  to  the  other  re- 
spectively. 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  the  idea  of 
mediatorship  is  fundamental  in  the  typ- 
ical institute  of  the  Altar,  we  are  natur- 
ally led  to  investigate  the  points  of 
analogy  in  this  respect  between  the 
shadow  and  the  substance.  Now  it  is 
obvious  that  one  of  the  leading  offices 
of  a  mediator  is  the  procurement  of 
peace,  or  the  reconciliation  of  offended 


136 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


and  contending  parties,  and  we  have 
the  decided  evidence  of  heathen  anti- 
quity in  favor  of  connecting  this  effect 
with  the  symbolical  uses  of  altars. 
Thus  Virgil  {Mn.  IV.  56.)  says, 

Principio  delubra  advent,  pacemque  per  aras 
Exquirunt. 

'First  they  repair  to  the  shrines  and 
through  the  medium  of  altars  solicit 
peace?  The  same  office  is  attributed  to 
the  Mosaic  Altar  and  its  offerings  by 
Rabbi  Menahem  ;  '  And  an  altar  was 
made  that  it  might  conciliate  peace  be- 
tween the  Israelites  and  their  Father  in 
heaven  through  the  mysteries  of  sacri- 
fice.' This  point  is  made  still  more 
evident  if  we  connect  with  the  Altar 
the  act  of  expiation  in  which  it  was 
mainly  instrumental,  as  we  learn  from 
the  most  express  Rabbinical  authority. 
'  This  is  that  Altar,'  says  the  Midrash 
Rabboth,  *  which  was  in  the  temple  and 
expiated  the  children  of  Israel.'  An- 
other also  of  the  Jewish  authorities 
says,  that  '  when  the  sprinkled  blood 
touches  the  Altar,  then  those  are  eX' 
piated  who  offer  the  sacrifice.'  Close- 
ly connected  with  the  conciliatory  or 
peace-procuring  design  of  the  Altar 
was  that  which  it  subserved  as  a  table 
or  hoard  of  feasting  to  the  parties 
which  were  thus  brought  to  mutual  fel- 
lowship  ;  as  it  is  well  known  that,  ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  the  holcaust,  the 
priests  and  some  times  the  offerer  too 
feasted  upon  a  portion  of  the  offerings. 
Accordingly  the  sacrifices  offered  up- 
on the  Altar  are  expressly  spoken  of, 
Num.  28.  2,  as  bread  or  food  laid  upon 
a  table,  and  in  Mai.  1.  7,  it  is  said,  'Ye 
offer  polluted  bread  upon  mine  altar; 
and  ye  say.  Wherein  have  we  polluted 
thee  ?  In  that  ye  say,  The  table  of  the 
Lord  is  contemptible.'  Eating  together 
at  the  same  table  has  ever  been  ac- 
counted among  the  Orientals  the  most 
unequivocal  pledge  of  amity,  union, 
and  common  interest,  and  accordingly 
the  Apostle  conveys  the  idea  of  the 


closest  possible  relation  and  fellowship 
when  he  says,  1  Cor.  10.  18,  'Are  not 
they  which  eat  of  the  sacrifices  par- 
takers of  the  altar?'  That  is,  they 
were  bound  in  most  soleirm  covenant 
ties  to  him  whose  table  the  altar  was. 
Consequently  they  could  not  eat  of  the 
sacrifices  of  idol  altars  without  virtual- 
ly eating  at  the  table  of  idols,  and  thus 
entering  into  fellowship  with  them.  But 
Christ  is  the  true  altar  of  fellowship 
for  Christians,  and  its  import  both  as 
an  altar  and  a  table  is  fulfilled  in  him. 

We  remark  again  that  affording  suc- 
cor and  protection  to  the  weak,  the 
pursued,  the  endangered,  is  another 
idea  naturally  connected  with  the  me- 
diatory uses  of  an  altar.  And  such  a 
purpose  we  find  answered  by  the  Altar 
of  Burnt-offerings  in  the  case  of  Adoni- 
jah  and  Joab,  who  both  flew  to  it  as  an 
asylum  when  the  guilt  of  treason  and 
blood  had  put  their  lives  in  peril.  The 
same  character  was  ascribed  by  the 
heathen  to  their  altars,  as  we  learn 
from  numerous  passages  in  the  classics. 
Flying  to  and  sitting  down  by  an  altar 
was  a  significant  mode  of  claiming  pro. 
tection  from  vengeance.  How  perfect- 
ly the  succoring  and  saving  offices  of 
Christ  tOAvards  the  guilty  fulfil  these 
typical  uses  of  the  Altar  is  too  obvious 
to  require  elucidation. 

This  use  of  the  Altar  as  a  place  of  re- 
fuge seems  to  be  intimately  connected 
with  the  horns  by  which  it  was  dis- 
tinguished. The  culprit  who  fled  to  it 
seized  hold  of  its  horns,  and  it  was 
from  thence  that  Joab  was  dragged  and 
slain.  Now  the  horn  was  one  of  the 
most  indubitable  symbols  of  power,  as 
we  learn  from  the  frequent  employ, 
ment  of  it  in  this  sense  by  the  sacred 
writers.  In  Hab.  3.  4,  for  instance,  it 
is  said,  'He  had  horns  coming  out  of 
his  hand,  and  there  was  the  hiding  o\ 
his  power.'  The  '  horn  of  David'  is 
the  power  and  dominion  of  David,  and 
Christ  is  called  a  '  horn  of  salvation,' 
from  his  being  a  mighty  Savior,  invest- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


137 


9  IT  Aad  «lthou  shalt  make  the 
court  of  the  tabernacle:  for  the 
south  side  southward  there  shall  be 

d  ch.  38.  9. 


hangings  for  the  court  of  fine  twm- 
ed  linen  of  an  hundred  cubits  long 
for  one  side: 


ed  with  royal  dignity,  and  able  to  put 
down  with  triumph  and  ease  all  his  ene- 
mies. It  is  probably  in  real,  though 
latent  allusion  to  the  horned  altar  and 
its  pacifying  character  that  God  says 
through  the  prophet,  Is.  27.  5,  '  let 
him  take  hold  of  my  strength,  that  he 
may  7nake  peace  with  me;  and  he  shall 
make  peace  with  me  ;'  let  him  fly  to 
the  horns  of  the  mystic  Altar,  and  find 
security  and  peace  in  that  reconciled 
omnipotence  of  which  it  was  the  sign. 
As  the  Altar  then  is  primarily  an  adum- 
bration of  Christ  in  his  mediatorial  of- 
fice, the  horns  may  very  suitably  denote 
those  attributes  of  his  character  which 
as  symbols  they  are  adapted  and  design- 
ed to  shadow  forth.  As  the  strength 
of  all  horned  animals,  that  strength  by 
which  they  defend  lliemselves  and  their 
young,  is  concentrated  mainly  in  their 
horns,  so  in  the  ascription  of  horns  to 
Christ  we  recognise  the  symbol  of  that 
divine  potency  by  which  he  is  able  to  sub- 
due all  things  to  himself,  and  to  afford 
complete  protection  to  his  people.  In 
accordance  with  this,  the  visions  of  the 
Apocalypse  represent  him  as  '  a  Lamb 
having  seven  horns,'  as  the  mystic  in- 
signia of  that  irresistible  power  with 
which  he  effects  the  discomfiture  of  his 
adversaries  and  pushes  his  spiritual  con- 
quests over  the  world.  This  view  of 
the  typical  import  of  the  Altar  and  its 
appendages  might  doubtless  be  much 
enlarged,  but  sufficient  has  been  said 
to  show,  that  the  same  rich  signifi- 
cancy  and  the  same  happy  adaptation, 
pervades  this  as  reigns  through  every 
other  part  of  the  Mosaic  ritual. 

THE    COURT   OF   THE    TABERNACLE. 

9.  Thou  shalt  make  the  court  of  the 
Tabernacle.     This  court  or  open  en- 
closure, in  which  the  Tabernacle  stood, 
12* 


was  of  an  oblong  figure  of  a  hundred 
cubits  (about  fifty-eight  yards)  in  length 
by  half  that  breadth,  and  the  height  of 
the  enclosing  fence  or  curtain  was  five 
cubits,  or  nearly  three  yards,  being  half 
the  height  of  the  Tabernacle.  The  en- 
closure v/as  formed  by  a  plain  hanging 
of  fine  twined  linen  yarn,  which  seems 
to  have  been  worked  in  an  open  or  net- 
work texture,  so  that  the  people  with- 
out  might  freely  see  the  interior.  The 
door-curtain  was  however  of  a  different 
texture  from  the  general  hanging,  being 
a  great  curtain  of  '  fine  twined  linen,' 
embroidered  with  blue,  purple,  and 
scarlet.  It  is  described  in  precisely 
the  same  terms  as  the  door-curtain  of 
the  Tabernacle  itself,  and  was  of  the 
same  fabric  with  the  inner  covering  of 
the  Tabernacle  and  the  vail  before  the 
Holy  of  Holies.  It  was  furnished  with 
cords,  by  which  it  might  be  drawn  up 
or  aside  when  the  priests  had  occasion 
to  enter.  The  curtains  of  this  enclosure 
were  hung  upon  sixty  pillars  of  brass, 
standing  on  bases  of  the  same  metal, 
but  with  capitals  and  fillets  of  silver. 
(Compare  the  description  in  this  chap- 
ter with  that  in  chap  38.)  The  hooks 
also,  to  which  the  curtains  were  attach- 
ed, were  of  silver.  The  entrance  of  the 
Court  was  at  the  east  end  opposite  that 
to  the  Tabernacle,  and  between  them 
stood  the  Altar  of  Burnt-offering,  but 
nearer  to  the  door  of  the  Tabernacle 
than  to  that  of  the  Court.  It  is  uncer- 
tain whether  the  brazen  laver  was  in- 
terposed between  the  Altar  and  the  door 
of  the  Tabernacle  or  not.  Chap.  30.  18, 
certainly  conveys  that  impression  ;  but 
the  Rabbins,  who  appear  to  have  felt 
that  nothing  could  properly  interpose 
between  the  Altar  and  Tabernacle,  say 
that  the  laver  was  indeed  nearer  to  the 
Tabernacle  than  was  the  Altar,  but  still 


138 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


10  And  the  twenty  pillars  thereof 
and  their  twenty  sockets  shall  he  of 
brass :  the  hooks  of  the  pillars  and 
their  fillets  shall  be  of  silver. 

11  And  likewise  for  the  north 
side  in  length  there  shall  be  hang- 
ings of  a  hundred  cubits  long,  and 

that  it  did  not  stand  in  the  same  line 
with  the  Altar,  but  stood  a  little  on  one 
side  to  the  south.  As  to  the  position 
of  the  Tabernacle  in  the  Court,  nothing 
is  said  in  the  Scriptures  on  the  subject, 
but  it  seems  less  probable  that  it  stood 
in  the  centre  than  that  it  was  placed  to- 
wards the  farther  or  western  extremity, 
so  as  to  allow  greater  space  for  the 
services  which  were  to  be  performed 
exclusively  in  front  of  the  Tabernacle. 
Within  the  precincts  of  this  Court  any 
Israelite  might  enter,  but  none  but  the 


his  twenty  pillars  and  their  twenty 
sockets  of  brass:  the  hooks  of  the 
pillars  and  their  fillets  of  silver. 

12  H  And  for  the  breadth  of  the 
court  on  the  west  side  shall  be  hang- 
ings of  fifty  cubits :  their  pillars  ten, 
and  their  sockets  ten. 

priests  Avere  permitted  to  go  into  the 
outer  room  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  into 
its  inner  recess  admission  was  forbidden 
to  all  but  the  high  priest.  A  view  of 
the  Tabernacle  with  its  curtained  en- 
closure will  hereafter  be  given. 

10.  The  twenty  pillars  thereof,  and 
their  twenty  sockets,  &c.  These  pil- 
lars, which  were  probably  made  of 
shittim-wood,  were  placed  at  five  cubits 
distance  from  each  other,  in  sockets  of 
brass,  in  the  manner  represented  in  the 
cut. 


Pillar  and  Socket,  with  Cords  and  Stakes. 


ir  Fillets.  Heb.  d'^pTLTl  hashnkim, 
from  the  root  plUH  hashak  which  has 
the  sense  of  connecting,  conjoining, 
whence  Rosenmuller  and  others  with 
much  probability  understand  by  the 
term  the  connecting  rods  of  silver  be- 
tween the  heads  of  the  pillars,  on  which 
the  curtains  were  suspended.  Other- 
wise it  is  rendered  as  in  our  version 
fillets,  by  which  is  meant  raised  orna- 
mental Ijands  or  mouldings  encircling 
the  tops  of  the  pillars. 


12.  Breadth, fifty  cubits.  The  breadth 
of  the  Court  was  therefore  equal  to  one 
half  its  length ;  the  whole  area  being 
of  an  oblong  square,  one  hundred  cubits 
in  length  and  fifty  in  breadth.  The 
form  and  proportions  of  the  Taberna- 
cle itself  were  nearly  the  same,  being 
thirty  cubits  in  length  and  twelve  in 
breadth. 

14.  Fifteen  cubits.  As  twenty  out 
of  the  fifty  cubits  which  measured  the 
breadth  of  the  Court  on  the  eastern  side 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


139 


13  And  the  breadth  of  the  court 
on  the  east  side  eastward  shall  be 
fifty  cubits. 

14  The  hangings  of  one  side  of 
the  gate  shall  be  fifteen  cubits: 
their  pillars  three,  and  their  sock- 
ets three. 

15  And  on  the  other  side  shall  be 
hangings,  fifteen  cubits :  their  pil- 
lars three,  and  their  sockets  three. 

]  6  ^  And  for  the  gate  of  the  court 
shall  be  a  hanging  of  twenty  cubits, 
o/blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and 
fine  twined  linen,  wrought  with 
needle-work :  and  their  pillars  shall 
be  four,  and  their  sockets  four. 

17  All  the  pillars  round  about  the 
court  shall  be  filletted  with  silver: 
their  hooks  shall  be  of  silver,  and 
their  sockets  of  brass. 

18  ^  The  length  of  the  court 
shall  be  an  hundred  cubits,  and  the 
breadth  fifty  every  where,  and  ihe 


were  to  be  appropriated  to  the  gate  or 
entrance- wajf,  this  would  leave  of  course 
fifteen  cubits  on  each  side. 

19.  The  pins  of  the  court.  The  nails 
or  small  stakes  which  were  driven  into 
the  ground  that  the  hangings,  attached 
to  them  by  cords,  might  be  made  fast  at 
the  bottom.  They  are  represented  in 
the  cut  above.  In  allusion  to  these  and 
in  view  of  its  future  glorious  enlarge- 
ment, the  prophet  thus  apostrophizes 
the  church,  Is.  54. 1 — 3,  'Sing,  0  barren, 
thou  that  didst  not  bear ;  break  forth 
into  singing,  and  cry  aloud,  thou  that 
didst  not  travail  with  child :  for  more 
are  the  children  of  the  desolate  than  the 
children  of  the  married  wife,  saith  the 
Lord.  Enlarge  the  place  of  thy  tent, 
and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  curtains 
of  thy  habitations  ;  spare  not,  lengthen 
thy  cords ^  and  strengthen  thy  stakes; 
For  thou  shalt  break  forth  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left ;  and  thy  seed 
shall  inherit  the  Gentiles,  and  make  the 
desolate  cities  to  be  inhabited.'  See  Mr. 
Barnes's  Note  on  the  passage. 


height  five  cubits  of  fme  twined 
linen,  and  their  sockets  of  brass. 

19  AH  the  vessels  of  the  taber- 
nacle in  all  the  service  thereof, 
and  all  the  pins  thereof,  and  all  the 
pins  of  the  court,  shall  be  of  brass. 

20  ^  And  ethou  shalt  command 
the  children  of  Israel,  that  they 
bring  thee  pure  oil  olive  beaten  for 
the  light,  to  cause  the  lamp  to 
burn  always. 

21  In  the  tabernacle  of  the  con- 
gregation f  without  the  vail,  which 
is  before  the  testimony,  g  Aaron 
and  his  sons  shall  order  it  from 
evening  to  morning  before  the 
Lord:  h//  shall  be  a  statute  for 
ever  unto  their  generations  on  the 
behalf  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

e  Lev.  24.  2.  f  ch.  26.  31,  33.  S  ch.  30.  8.  1 
Sam.  3.  3.  2  Chron.  13.  11.  h  ch.  23.  43.  &  29. 
9,  28.  Lev.  3. 17  &.  16.  34.  &  24.  9.  Numb.  18. 
23.  &  19.21.  ISam.  30.25, 

THE   OIL   FOR   THE    CANDLESTICK. 

20.  Pure  oil  olive  beaten.  The  Lamp 
was  to  be  fed  with  pure  oil,  prepared 
from  olives  which  w^ere  bruised  with  a 
pestle,  and  so  free  from  the  sediment 
and  dregs  which  were  apt  to  mar  that 
that  was  obtained  from  an  oil-press  or 
mill.  'By  the  expression  oil  olive,  this 
oil  is  distinguished  from  other  kinds. 
The  addition  beaten,  indicates  that  it 
is  that  oil  obtained  from  olives  pounded 
in  a  mortar,  and  not  pressed  from  olives 
in  the  oil-mill.  The  oil  obtained  from 
pounded  olives  is,  according  to  Colum- 
ella's observation,  much  purer  and  bet- 
ter tasted,  does  not  emit  much  smoke, 
and  has  no  offensive  smell.'  Burder. 
IT  To  cause  the  lamp  to  burn  al- 
ways. To  light  it  regularly  every  night. 
That  is  said,  according  to  Scripture 
usage,  to  be  always  done,  which  never 
fails  to  be  done  at  the  appointed  sea- 
son. Thus  a  *  continual  burnt-offering' 
is  one  which  is  continually  offered  at 
the  stated  time. 

31.  In  the  tabernacle  of  the  congre* 


140 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149 J. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII.  I  him,  from  among  the  children  of 

ND  take  thou  unto  thee  aAaron   Israel,  that  he  may  minister  unto 


thy  brother,  and  his  sons  with 

gat  ion.  Heb.  "l^^'n  ^Mi^  ohel  mo'td, 
tabernacle  of  appointment ,  or  of  stated 
meeting.  The  common  rendering,  'tab- 
ernacle of  the  congregation,'  implies 
that  it  was  so  called  merely  from  the 
fact  of  the  peoples'  there  congregating 
to  attend  upon  the  worship  of  God, 
whereas  the  genuine  force  of  the  orig- 
inal expression  imports  not  only  the 
meeting  of  the  people  with  each  other, 
a  general  assembling  of  the  host,  but 
the  meeting  of  God  also  with  them,  ac- 
cording to  his  promise,  v.  43.  ^  And 
there  will  I  meet  with  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  the  Tabernacle  shall  be 
sanctified  with  my  glory.'  The  He- 
brew n5>i;o  moed,  the  term  in  question, 
strictly  signifies  a  meeting  by  appoint- 
ment, a  convention  at  a  time  and  place 
previously  agreed  upon  by  the  parties. 
The  Chaldee  both  of  Onkelos  and  Jona- 
than render  this  by  5^2)3T  "^^IL'^O  mish- 
kan  zimna,  tabernacle  of  appointed 
time,  implying  that  at  stated  seasons 
the  children  of  Israel  were  to  have  re- 
course thither. IT    Which  is  before 

the  testimony.  That  is,  before  the  Ark 
of  the  testimony.    See  ch.  25.  21,  22. 

IT  Aa7-on  and  his  sons  shall  order  it 

from  evening  to  morning.  Josephus, 
in  speaking  of  the  duty  of  the  priests 
(Ant.  L.  III.  ch.  8.),  says,  'They  were 
also  to  keep  oil  already  purified  for  the 
lamps ;  three  of  which  were  to  give 
light  all  day  long,  upon  the  sacred  Can- 
dlestick before  God,  and  the  rest  were 
to  be  lighted  at  the  evening.'  It  is  not 
unreasonable  to  suppose  that  this  was 
the  case,  although  the  authority  of 
Josephus  cannot  be  considered  as  de- 
cisive of  any  point  of  Jewish  antiquity. 
Still  as  he  was  nearer  the  source  of  tra- 
dition, his  testimony  is  always  worthy 
of  being  carefully  weighed,  although 
the  whole  ritual  had  no  doubt  under- 
gone great  changes    before  his  time. 


a  Numb.  18.  7.  Ilebr.  5.  1,  4. 


The  following  detailed  account  of  the 
manner  of  '  ordering'  the  lamps  is  given 
by  Ainsworth  from  Maimonides.  As  a 
Rabbinical  relic  exhibiting  a  striking 
specimen  of  the  scrupulous  exactness 
with  which  every  part  of  the  Taberna- 
cle service  was  performed,  it  is  not 
without  its  interest.  'Of  every  lamp 
that  is  burnt  out,  he  takes  away  the 
wick,  and  all  the  oil  that  remaineih  in 
the  lamp,  and  wipeth  it,  and  putteth 
in  another  wick,  and  other  oil  by  meas- 
ure, and  that  is  an  hall'  a  log  (about  a 
quarter  of  a  pint);  and  that  which  he 
taketh  away  he  casteth  into  the  place 
of  ashes  by  the  altar,  and  lighteth  the 
lamp  which  was  out,  and  the  lamp 
which  he  findeth  not  out,  he  dresseth 
it.  The  lamp  which  is  middlemost, 
when  it  is  out,  he  lights  not  it  but  from 
the  altar  in  the  court ;  but  the  rest  of 
the  lamps,  every  one  that  is  out  he 
lighteth  from  the  lamp  that  is  next. 
He  lighteth  not  all  the  lamps  at  one 
time  ;  but  lighteth  five  lamps,  and  stay- 
eth,  and  doth  the  other  service;  and 
afterwards  cometh  and  lighteth  the  two 
that  remain.  He  whose  duty  it  is  to 
dress  the  candlestick  cometh  with  a 
golden  vessel  in  his  hand  (called  Cuz, 
like  to  a  great  pitcher)  to  take  away 
in  it  the  wicks  that  are  burnt  out,  and 
the  oil  that  remaineth  in  the  lamps, 
and  lighteth  five  of  the  lamps,  and  bear- 
eth  the  vessel  there  before  the  Candle- 
stick, and  goeth  out ;  afterwards  he 
cometh  and  lighteth  the  two  lamps, 
and  taketh  up  the  vessel  in  his  hand, 
and  boweth  down  to  worship,  and  go- 
eth his  way.'  Treat,  of  the  Daily  Sa- 
crifice,  C.  III.  Sect.  12—17. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE   PRIESTLY   GARMENTS. 

As  full  and  ample  directions  bad  now 


B.  C.  1491.]  CHAPTER  XXVIIL 

me    in    the    priest's    office,    even 


141 


been  given  in  respect  to  rearing  and 
furnishing  the  Tabernacle  as  a  place  of 
worship,  we  have  in  the  present  chapter 
an  intimation  of  the  setting  apart  an 
order  of  men  to  officiate  as  ministers  of 
this  worship,  and  a  minute  description 
of  the  vestment  by  which  they  were  to 
be  distinguished.  Previous  to  this  time 
the  patriarchal  mode  of  service  had  no 
doubt  obtained,  every  master  of  a  family 
being  a  priest  to  his  own  household  ; 
but  now  as  a  Tabernacle  of  the  congre- 
gation was  about  to  be  erected,  as  a 
visible  centre  of  unity  to  the  nation, 
God  saw  fit  to  order  the  institutions  of 
a  public  priesthood,  and  according  to 
previous  intimation,  Ex.  27.  21,  Aaron 
and  his  sons  are  here  fixed  upon  as  can- 
didates for  the  high  distinction. 

1.  Take  thou  unto  thee.  Heb.  -^pfl 
hakrib,  cause  to  come  nigh.  Gr.  npoaa- 
yayov,  bring  near.  The  original  root 
D^p  karab  is  of  the  most  frequent  oc- 
currence in  relation  to  sacrifices,  and  is 
the  ordinary  term  applied  to  the  bring- 
ing near  or  presenting  the  various  of- 
ferings which  were  enjoined  under  the 
Mosaic  ritual.  It  is  wholly  in  keeping 
with  this  usage  to  employ  it,  as  here, 
in  reference  to  persons  who  by  their 
dedication  to  the  service  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, were  in  a  sense  sacrificiaUy  of- 
fered up  and  devoted  to  God.  Before  en- 
tering upon  the  description  of  the  sa- 
cerdotal dresses,  the  historian  prefaces 
a  few  words  respecting  those  who  were 
to  wear  them,  viz.,  Aaron  and  his  sons  ; 
of  whose  solemn  consecration  to  office  a 
full  account  is  given  in  the  next  chap- 
ter. God  is  introduced  as  especially 
designating  and  appointing  these  in- 
dividuals to  the  sacred  function  of  the 
priesthood  ;  and  this  would  have  the 
effect  at  once  to  show  that  this  was  an 
honor  too  great  to  be  assumed  by  men 
without  a  call  from  heaven,  according 
to  the  Apostle's  statement,  Heb.  5.  4, 


Aaron,  Nadab  and  Abihu,  Eleazar 
and  Ithamar,  Aaron's  sons. 


and  also  to  free  both  Moses  and  Aaron 
from  the  charge  of  grasping  this  dis- 
tinction for  the  purpose  of  aggrandizing 

their  own  family. IT    That  he  may 

minister.  Heb.  i;n^^  lekahano,  from 
the  root  "pS  kahan,  of  which  Kimchi 
says  the  primary  meaning  is  the  rend- 
ering of  honordbfe  and  dignified  ser- 
vice, such  as  that  of  officers  of  state  to 
their  sovereign.  In  accordance  with 
this  it  is  used  concerning  the  sons  of 
David,  2  Sam.  8.  18,  who  could  not. 
strickly  speaking,  be  priests ;  and  on 
the  same  grounds  the  substantive  Q'^whS 
kohanim  is  in  several  places  in  the 
margin  rendered  '  princes.'  See  Note 
on  Gen.  14.  18.  But  as  princes  or 
courtiers  w^ait  on  the  king,  and  are  hon- 
ored by  nearer  access  to  him  than 
others ;  so  the  priests  under  the  law 
were  assumed  into  this  near  relation  to 
the  King  of  Israel,  and  for  this  reason 
the  term  in  its  ordinary  acceptation  is 
applied  more  especially  to  the  duties 
of  priests  in  ministering  before  God  at 
his  altar.  The  remark  is  no  doubt  well 
founded,  that  wherever  the  word  is  con- 
nected with  any  of  the  names  of  God, 
it  always  denotes  a  priest  •  but  when 
standing  alone  it  usually  means  a 
prince,  or  some  person  of  eminence. 
Comp.  Ex.  2.  16.  Of  the  duties  per- 
taining to  the  priestly  office  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  speak  in  detail  in  sub- 
sequent notes ;  but  we  may  here  ob- 
serve briefly,  that  although  as  high 
functionaries  in  the  court  of  the  Great 
King,  many  of  their  duties  were  of  a 
civil  nature,  as  might  be  expected  under 
a  system  in  which  church  and  state 
were  united,  yet  those  that  more  prop- 
erly belonged  to  them  in  their  sacer- 
dotal  character  were  mainly  the  follow- 
ing :  They  were  to  pronounce  the  bene- 
diction upon  the  people  and  to  conduct 
the  whole  service  of  the  holy  place. 
Their's  was  the  business  of  sacrificing, 


142 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


2  And   b  thou  shalt  make   holy 

h  ch.  29.  5,  29.  «fe  31.  10.  &  39.  1,  2.  Lev.  8. 

7,  SO.  Numb.  20.  26,28. 

in  all  its  rites,  in  all  offerings  upon  the 
alter  of  burnt-offerings.  The  govern- 
ment and  ordering  of  the  sanctuary  and 
of  the  house  of  God  lay  upon  them. 
They  kept  the  table  of  show-bread 
properly  supplied ;  they  attended  to 
the  lamps  of  golden  candelabrum  every 
morning:  at  the  same  lime  they  burnt 
the  daily  incense,  which  prevented  any 
offensive  scent  from  the  dressing  of  the 
lamps  from  being  perceived.  It  was 
their  duty  to  keep  up  the  fire  upon  the 
brazen  altar,  that  the  fire  originally 
kindled  from  heaven  might  never  be  ex- 
tinguished. It  Avas  their  office  to  make 
the  holy  anointing  oil ;  and  their's  to 
blow  the  silver  trumpets  at  the  solemn 
feasts,  and  also  before  the  Ark  at  its 
removals.  While  their  numbers  were 
few,  there  was  occupation  enough  to 
keep  them  all  employed ;  but  when 
they  afterwards  became  numerous,  they 
were  divided  into  twenty-four  bands,  or 
courses,  each  of  which  undertook  week- 
ly, in  rotation,  the  sacred  services.  But 
this  regulation  belongs  to  the  time  of 
David,  and  remains  to  be  considered  in 
another  place.  Although  the  Most  High 
had  before,  Ex.  19.  6,  said  of  Israel  in 
general,  'that  they  should  be  to  him  a 
kingdom  of  priests,'  yet  this  did  not 
militate  with  his  concentrating  the 
office,  in  its  active  duties,  in  a  single 
family,  as  he  now  saw  fit  to  do.  It  was 
only  in  this  way  that  the  great  ends  of 
the  institution  could  be  attained.  Of 
the  four  sons  of  Aaron  here  selected, 
the  two  eldest,  Nadab  and  Abihu,  un- 
fortunately showed  themselves  ere  long 
unworthy  of  the  honor  now  conferred 
upon  them,  and  perished  miserably  in 
consequence  of  their  presumptuous  lev- 
ity in  the  discharge  of  their  office.  The 
succession  then  reverted  to  the  line  of 
Eleazar  and  Ithamar,  in  which  it  was 
perpetuated  down  to  the  latest  period  of 
the  Jewish  polity. 


garments  for  Aaron  thy  brother 
for  glory  and  for  beauty. 


•2.  Holy  garments.  Heb.  'lr:^p  "i"iaD 
higd't  kodesh,  garments  of  holiness.  Gr 
crroX/7  ayia,  a  holy  stole,  or  perhaps  col- 
lectively a  quantity  of  holy  stoles. 
These  garments  are  called  '  holy'  be- 
cause they  were  designed  for  holy  men. 
and  because  they  formed  part  of  an 
establishment  whose  general  character 
was  holy.  Indeed,  whatever  was  sepa- 
rated from  common  use,  and  conse- 
crated to  the  immediate  service  of  God, 
acquired  thereby  a  relative  holiness;  so 
that  we  see  the  amplest  ground  for  tha 
bestowment  of  this  epithet  upon  the  sa- 
cred dresses.  In  ordinary  life,  when 
not  engaged  in  their  official  duties,  the 
priests  were  attired  like  other  Israel- 
ites of  good  condition  ;  but  when  em- 
ployed in  their  stated  ministrations^ 
they  were  to  be  distinguished  by  a  pe- 
culiar and  appropriate  dress.  Of  this 
dress,  which  was  kept  in  a  wardrobe 
somehow  connected  with  the  Taberna- 
cle, and  which  was  laid  aside  when 
their  ministration  ceased,  and  returned 
to  the  wardrobe,  the  Jewish  writers 
have  much  to  say.  According  to  them 
the  priests  could  not  officiate  without 
their  robes,  neither  could  they  wear 
them  beyond  the  sacred  precincts.  Un- 
der the  Temple,  where  the  usages  were 
no  doubt  substantially  the  same  as  in 
the  Tabernacle,  when  the  priests  ar- 
rived to  take  their  turns  of  duty,  they 
put  off  their  usual  dress,  washed  them- 
selves in  water,  and  put  on  the  holy 
garments.  While  they  were  in  the  Tem- 
ple, attending  upon  their  service,  they 
could  not  sleep  in  their  sacred  habits, 
but  in  their  own  wearing  clothes. 
These  they  put  off  in  the  morning, 
when  they  went  to  their  service,  and, 
after  bathing,  resumed  their  official 
dress. — But  we  shall  treat  of  the  de- 
tails in  their  order. IT  For  glory  and 

for  beauty.    Heb.  niJ^tn^l  nSS^  le- 
k'abod  u-letiphareth,for  glory,  or  honor, 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


143 


3  And  c  thou  shalt  speak  unto  all 
that  are  wise-hearted,  dwhom  I 
have  filled  with  the  spirit  of  wis- 
dom, that  they  may  make  Aaron's 
garments  to  consecrate  him,  that 
he  may  minister  unto  me  in  the 
priest's  office. 

4  And   these   are    the   garments 

c  ch.  31.  6.  &  36.  1.  d  ch.  31.  3.  &  35.  30,  31. 

and  for  beauty,  ornament,  decoration. 
The  expression  is  very  strong,  leading 
us  to  the  inference  that  a  special  sig- 
nificancy  and  importance  attached  to 
these  garments.  Thej"^  were  to  be  made 
thus  splendid  in  order  to  render  the 
office  more  respected,  and  to  inspire  a 
becoming  reverence  for  the  Divine  Ma- 
jesty, whose  ministers  were  attired  with 
so  much  grandeur.  As  every  thing  j^er- 
taining  to  the  sanctuary  was  to  be  made 
august  and  magnificent,  so  were  the 
dresses  of  those  who  ministered  there. 
Yet  we  cannot  doubt  that  a  typical  de- 
sign governed  the  fashion  and  appear- 
ance of  these  gorgeous  robes,  and  that 
they  pointed  forward  to  the  '■  glory'  and 
'  beauty'  both  of  the  internal  character 
and  the  outward  display  of  the  '  great 
High  Priest'  of  the  church,  in  his  yet 
future  manifestation.  We  may  perhaps 
recognise  also  a  secondary  allusion  to 
the  beautiful  spiritual  investment  both 
of  his  ministers  and  people,  in  that 
bright  period  when  they  shall  have  laid 
aside  the  '  filthy  garments'  of  their  cap- 
tivity and  degradation,  and  shall  shine 
forth  as  the  '  perfection  of  beauty  in 
the  whole  earth,'  being  clothed  in  that 
'  clean  linen  which  is  the  righteousness 
of  saints.'  Accordingly  it  is  said,  Is, 
51.  1,  'Put  on  thy  beautiful  garments 
(Heb.  '^n'^S^Sn  ^-3n  Ugde  tipharthik, 
garments  of  thy  beauty),^  the  very  word 
here  employed. 

3.  Speak  unto  all  that  are  wise- 
hearted.  Heb.  :i^  ^JZ'DTI  ^S  ^i^  el  kol 
hakme  leb,  to  all  wise  of  heart.  Gr. 
iraai  tois  (JO(poi<;  ti]  Siavota,  to  all  wise  in 
understanding.    That   is,  skilful,   ex- 


which  they  shall  make ;  e  a  breast- 
plate, and  fan  ephod,  and  g  a  robe, 
and  ii  a  broidered  coat,  a  mitre, 
and  a  girdle :  and  they  shall  make 
holy  garments  for  AarOn  thy  bro- 
ther, and  his  sons,  that  he  may 
minister  unto  me  in  the  priest's 
office. 

ever.  15.    f  ver.  6.    Sver.31.    h  ver.  39. 

pert,  ingenious,  as  artists.  It  is  clearly 
intimated,  however,  by  the  connected 
phrase,  '  whom  I  have  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  wisdom'  that  the  epithet  im- 
plies more  than  the  mere  native  gifts 
and  endowments  which  might  be  pos- 
sessed by  any  in  this  line.  Whatever 
mechanical  skill  might  be  evinced  by 
any  of  the  people,  yet  here  was  a  work 
to  be  executed  which  required  some- 
thing still  higher,  and  therefore  God 
was  pleased  to  impart  a  special  in- 
spiration to  endow  them  with  the  re- 
quisite ability.  Compare  this  with  Is. 
28.  23 — 29,  where  even  the  necessary 
skill  for  rightly  conducting  the  occu- 
pations of  husbandry  are  referred  to  the 
same  source.  To  the  right-minded  it 
is  pleasant  as  well  as  proper  to  ascribe 
to  the  Father  of  lights,  from  whom 
Cometh  down  every  good  and  perfect 
gift,  the  glory  of  whatever  talents  may 
give  us  eminence  or  success  in  any  of 
the  lawful  or  honorable  callings  of  life. 

IT   To  consecrate  him.    To  render 

him  consecrated ;  to  be  a  badge  and 
sign  of  his  consecration. 

4, 5.  These  are  the  garments,  &c. 
Of  the  garments  here  appointed  to  be 
made  of  these  rich  materials  four  were 
common  to  the  high  priest  and  the  in- 
ferior priests;  viz.,  the  linen  breeches, 
the  linen  coat,  the  linen  girdle,  and  the 
bonnet  or  turban  ;  that  which  the  high 
priest  wore  is  called  a  mitre.  The  re- 
maining four  were  peculiar  to  the  high 
priest,  viz.,  the  ephod  with  its  curious 
girdle,  the  breast-plate,  the  long  robe 
with  its  bells  and  pomegranates,  and 
the  golden  plate  on  his  forehead.  These 


144 


EXODUS. 


[B.  0.  1491. 


5  And  they  shall  take  gold,  and 
blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and 
fine  lihen. 

6  ^  i  And  they  shall  make  the 
ephod  of  ^old,  of  blue,  and  of  pur- 
ple, of  scarlet,  and  fine  twined 
linen,  with  cunning  work. 

7  It  shall  have  the  two  shoulder- 

ich.  39.  2. 

last  are  frequently  termed  by  the  Rab- 
binical writers,  by  way  of  distinction, 
the  ;:nt  "^13^  Mgde  zahab,  garments  of 
gold  while  the  others,  made  of  linen,  are 
called  ']D^  *i"T3Il  bigde  laban,  garments 
of  white.  We  shall  consider  each  of 
them  in  order.  We  may  here  remark, 
however,  that  on  one  day  in  the  year, 
viz.,  the  great  day  of  atonement,  or  fast 
of  annual  expiation,  the  High  Priest 
wore  none  of  the  golden  garments^  but 
appeared,  like  the  rest  of  the  priests, 
simply  in  habiliments  of  white  linen. 
Even  his  mitre  was  then  made  of  linen. 
The  reason  of  this  was,  that  the  day  of 
atonement  was  a  day  oi humiliation:  and 
as  the  High  Priest  was  then  to  offer  sa- 
crifices for  his  own  sins,  as  well  as  those 
of  the  people,  he  was  to  be  so  clad  as 
to  indicate  that  he  could  lay  claim  to  no 
exemption  on  the  score  of  frailty  and 
guilt ;  that  he  recognised  the  fact  that 
in  the  need  of  expiation,  the  highest  and 
the  lowest,  the  priest  and  the  Levite, 
stood  on  a  level  before  God,  with  whom 
there  is  no  distinction  of  persons. 

THE   EPHOD. 

6.  They  shall  make  the  ephod,  &c. 
Heb.  TlSi^  cphod.  Gr.  cwcoiiiSa,  shoulder- 
piece.  The  original  comes  from  "IBJ* 
aphad,  to  bind  or  gird  on,  and  there- 
fore signifies  in  general  something  to  be 
girded  on;  but  as  to  the  precise  form  of 
the  vestment  itself  it  is  difficult  to 
gather  from  the  words  of  the  narrative 
a  very  distinct  notion  ;  and  even  if  we 
succeed  in  this,  we  must  still  depend 
mainly  upon  a  pictured  representation 
to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  it  to  the 


pieces  thereof  joined  at  the  two 
edges  thereof;  and  so  it  shall  be 
joined  together. 

8  And  the  curious  girdle  of  the 
ephod,  which  is  upon  it,  shall  be 
of  the  same,  according  to  the  work 
thereof;  even  of  gold,  of  blue,  and 
purple,  and  scarlet,  and  fine  twined 
linen. 


reader.  From  an  attentive  comparison 
of  all  that  is  said  of  the  Ephod  in  the 
sacred  text,  commentators  are  for  the 
most  part  agreed  in  considering  it  as 
approaching  to  the  form  of  a  short 
double  apron,  having  the  two  parts 
connected  by  two  wide  straps  united 
on  the  shoulders.  These  are  called,  v. 
7,  the  two  shoulder-pieces,  which  were 
to  be  joined  at  the  two  edges  thereof; 
i.  e.  on  the  very  apex  of  the  shoulders. 
This  junction  was  effected  in  some  way 
under  the  two  onyx-stones  and  at  the 
precise  point  where  they  rested  upon 
the  shoulders.  These  stones  are  said 
by  Josephus  (who  calls  them  'sardonyx- 
stones')  to  have  been  very  splendid, 
and  Bahr  thinks  that  the  symbolical 
significancy  of  the  Ephod  was  mainly 
concentrated  in  these  '  shoulder-pieces,' 
which,  like  our  modern  epaulettes,  were 
a  badge  of  dignity,  authority,  com-' 
mand — an  idea  to  Avhich  we  shall  ad- 
vert in  the  sequel.  The  two  main 
pieces  or  lappets  of  the  Ephcd  hung 
down,  the  one  in  front,  the  other  be- 
hind, but  to  what  depth  is  not  stated, 
although  Josephus  says  it  was  a  cubit, 
which  would  bring  their  lower  extrem- 
ity about  to  the  loins.  It  seems  to  us 
probable  on  the  whole  that  the  posterior 
portion  hung  down  from  the  shoulders 
considerably  lower  than  the  anterior. 
But  without  some  other  appendage 
these  dorsal  and  pectoral  coverings 
would  hang  loose  upon  the  person,  to 
prevent  which  a  '  curious  girdle,'  form- 
ing an  integral  part  of  the  Ephod  itself, 
and  composed  probably  of  two  distinct 
bands  issuing  from  the  sides  of  either 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


145 


the  frontal  or  hinder  portion,  passed  I  in  the  front  piece  is  designed  for  the 
round  the  body  just  under  the  arms  so  insertion  of  the  Breast-plate.  The  ap- 
as  to  encircle  it  over  the  region  of  the  |  pendant  straps  when  brought  around 
heart.  The  annexed  cut  will  aid  the  j  the  body  formed  the  '  curious  girdle  of 
reader's  conception.    The  open  space  I  the  Ephod.' 


In  this  representation  we  have  main- 
ly followed  Braunius  in  his  celebrated 
v/ork  on  the  Dresses  of  the  Jewish 
Priests,  as  that  which  we  regard  as  on 
the  whole  the  most  probable  ;  but  Gus- 
setius,  one  of  the  ablest  of  the  Hebrew 


Lexicographers,  contends  for  a  lorm 
approaching  nearer  to  that  of  a  belt  or 
girdle  for  the  whole  Ephodj  and  there 
is  so  much  that  is  plausible  in  his  view, 
tliat  we  are  induced  to  give  a  copy  of 
his  encrraving. 


Such  appears  to  have  been  the  general  j  which  it  was  made  to  be  fitted  close  to 
form  of  the  Ephod,  and  the  manner  in    the  body.    As  to  the  material  of  which 
Vor,  II.  13 


146 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149L 


9  And  thou  shalt  take  two  onyx- 
stones,  and  grave  on  them  the 
names  of  the  children  of  Israel : 

10  Six  of  their  names  on  one 
stone,  and  the  other  six  names  of 
the  rest  on  the  other  stone,  accord- 
ing to  their  birth. 

11  With  the  work  of  an  engraver 

it  was  made,  this  was  evidently  the 
same  with  that  of  the  interior  curtains 
and  the  separating  vail  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, and  wrought  like  it,  except  that  in 
this  ephod-tapestry  the  figures  of  cherub- 
im were  wanting,  and  instead  of  them 
there  was  a  rich  interweaving  of  threads 
of  gold,  which  together  with  the  beau- 
tiful colors  embroidered,  must  have 
given  it  an  air  of  inexpressible  richness. 
On  this  point  the  Jewish  writers  say, 
'The  gold  that  was  in  the  weaving  of 
the  ephod  and  breast-plate  was  thus 
wrought:  He  (the  cunning  workman) 
took  one  thread  of  pure  gold  and  put  it 
with  six  threads  of  blue  and  twisted 
these  seven  threads  as  one.  And  so 
he  did  one  thread  of  gold  with  six  of 
purple,  and  one  with  six  of  scarlet,  and 
one  with  six  of  linen.  Thus  these  four 
threads  of  gold  and  twenty-eight  threads 
in  all.'  Maimonides  in  Ainsworth. 
This  is  a  very  probable  account  of  the 
mode  of  texture,  though  the  proportion 
of  gold  strikes  us  as  very  small.  From 
the  allusion  in  the  description  of  our 
Savior's  dress,  Rev.  1. 13,  'Clothed  with 
a  garment  down  to  the  foot,  and  girt 
about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle,'  it 
is  reasonably  to  be  inferred  that  it  con- 
tained a  pretty  copious  insertion  of  gold 
in  its  texture,  from  which  fact  the  curi- 
ous girdle  of  the  Ephod  was  usually  dis- 
tinguished by  this  epithet.  Though 
properly  and  primarily  a  vestment  of 
the  High  Priest,  yet  it  appears  that 
garments  of  the  same  name  were  worn 
by  the  inferior  priests,  but  they  were 
plain  ones  of  linen.  It  does  not  appear 
that  even  these  were  worn  at  first  by 
the  common  priests.     But  we  after- 


in  stone,  like  the  engravings  of  a 
signet,  shalt  thou  engrave  the  two 
stones  with  the  names  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel:  thou  shalt  make 
them  to  be  set  in  ouches  of  gold. 

12  And  thou  shalt  put  the  two 
stones  upon  the  shoulders  of  the 
ephod /or  stones  of  memorial  unto 

wards  read  of  common  priests  wearing 
Ephods ;  and  indeed  Samuel,  who  was 
only  a  Levite,  wore  one  ;  and  David^ 
who  was  not  even  a  Levite,  did  the 
same  when  he  danced  before  the  ark. 
On  one  occasion  Saul  consulted  the 
Lord  by  Urim,  and  consequently  used 
the  Ephod  of  the  high  priest,  1  Sam. 
28.  6;  and  on  another  occasion  David 
did  the  same,  1  Sam.  30. 7.  It  is  thought 
by  some,  however  that  Saul  and  David 
did  not  themselves  use  the  Ephod,  but 
directed  the  priest  to  use  it. 

9 — 12.  Thou  shalt  take  two  onyx- 
sto7ies,  &c.  On  each  of  the  connecting 
pieces  that  went  across  the  shoulders 
was  set  an  arch  or  socket  of  gold,  con- 
taining an  onyx-stone  (Chal.  '  Beryl- 
stone')  on  which  the  names  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel  were  engraved,  as  in  a 
seal,  six  on  each  shoulder.  Thus  Mai- 
monides ;  'He  set  on  each  shoulder  a 
beryl-stone  four-square,  embossed  in 
gold  ;  and  he  graved  on  the  two  stones 
the  names  of  the  tribes,  six  on  one 
stone  and  six  on  the  other,  according  to 
their  births.  And  the  stone  whereon 
Reuben  was  written,  was  on  the  right 
shoulder,  and  the  stone  whereon  Simeon 
was  written,  was  on  the  left.'  The 
Rabbins  say,  moreover,  that  the  letters 
were  so  equally  divided  in  these  two 
inscriptions  that  Joseph's  name  was 
written  '  Jehoseph'  in  order  to  make  just 

twenty-five  letters  in  each  stone. 

TT  According  to  their  birth.  Heb. 
Crn^nS  ketholedotham,  their  births  or 
generations.  That  is,  according  to  the 
order  of  their  respective  births  or  ages 
The  arrangement  is  diversely  under- 
stood   by  Josephus  and  most  of  tht 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


147 


the  children  of  Israel :  and  l  Aaron 
shall  bear  their  names  before  the 
Lord  upon  his  two  shoulders  m  for 
a  memorial. 

13  II  And  thou  shalt  make  ouches 
of  gold; 

14  And  two  chains  of  pure  gold 
at  the   endsj   of  wreathen  work 

1  ver.  29.  ch.  39.  7.    ui  See  Josh.  4. 7.  Zech. 
6.  14. 

Rabbinical   writers,  according  to  the 

latter  of  whom  the  order  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

Left.  Riarht. 


Gad, 

Reuben, 

Asher, 

Simeon, 

Issachar, 

Levi, 

Zebulon, 

Judah, 

Joseph, 

Dan, 

Benjamin, 

Naphtali. 

The  former,  having  a  special  view  to 
their  several  mothers,  arranges  them 
thus  ; 


Simeon, 

Reuben, 

Judah, 

Levi, 

Zebulon, 

Issachar, 

Dan, 

Naphtali, 

Asher, 

Gad, 

Benjamin, 

Joseph. 

It  is  a  matter  of  little  moment  which 
we  consider  as  the  most  correct. 

12.  For  stones  of  memorial  unto  the 
children  of  Israel.  That  is,  as  a  me- 
morial  for  or  in  behalf  of  the  children 
of  Israel ;  a  remembrancer  to  Aaron  and 
to  Israel  that  he  appeared  before  God 
in  the  priestly  office  as  a  represent- 
ative of  the  whole  people.  The  mean- 
ing is  in  fact  explained  in  the  next 
clause. 

THE   BREAST-PLATE. 

15.  Thou  shall  make  the  breast- 
plate  of  judgment,  &c.  Heb,  yi^Tl 
1351ZJ)3  hoshen  mishpat.  This  would 
perhaps  be  better  rendered  in  our  ver- 
sion pectoral  or  breast-piece  of  judg- 


shalt  thou  make  them,  and  fasten 
the  wreathen  chains  to  the  ouches. 
15  lIAnd  "thou  shalt  make  the 
breast-plate  of  judgment  with  cun- 
ning work ;  after  the  work  of  the 
ephod  thou  shalt  make  it ;  of  gold, 
of  blue,  and  of  purple,  and  of  scar- 
let, and  of  fine  twined  linen  shalt 
thou  make  it. 

nch.  39.8. 

ment,  as  breast-plate  conveys  the  idea 
of  a  military  accoutrement,  which  is 
not  implied  in  the  original.  Greek 
\oy€iou  Tuv  Kpiaeuv,  the  rationale  of 
judgments,  as  it  is  also  rendered  in  the 
Lat.  Vulg.  The  etymology  of  the  orig- 
inal term  y^Tl  hoshen,  is  entirely  un- 
known. Gesenius  indeed  refers  to  the 
Arabic  hashna,  to  be  fair,  beautiful, 
splendid,  as  perhaps  having  affinity 
with  its  root,  with  which  he  compares 
the  Germ,  scheinen,  to  appear,  schon, 
fair,  and  Eng.  shine.  But  though  it  is 
equally  a  matter  of  conjecture,  we  for 
ourselves  prefer  the  suggestion  of  Aven- 
arius  (Lex.  ad  rad.  ^-^n)  that  it  comes 
by  transposition  of  letters  from  ICPID 
nahash,  to  augur,  to  divine,  a  sense 
very  nearly  akin  to  that  of  seeking  in- 
formation by  consulting  an  oracle. 
Yet  we  are  still  unable  to  establish  this 
or  any  other  as  the  legitimate  forma- 
tion of  the  word,  and  are  compelled 
therefore  to  content  ourselves  with  such 
a  view  of  the  material,  form,  and  uses 
of  the  "ipn  hoshen  as  can  be  deduced 
from  the  text  independent  of  philological 
or  collateral  aid.  It  was  called  '  breast- 
plate of  judgment'  from  its  being  worn 
by  the  High  Priest  when  he  went  into 
the  Most  Holy  Place  to  consult  God  re- 
specting  those  matters  of  judgment 
which  were  too  hard  for  the  inferior 
judges,  and  which  had  reference  to 
the  more  important  civil  or  religious 
concerns  of  the  nation.  Comp.  Deut. 
17.  IS,  19.  The  cloth  which  for.med 
the  ground  of  the  Breast-plate  was  of 
the    same    rich  embroidered   stuff  or 


148 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


16  Four-square  it  shall  be,  being 
doubled ;  a  span  shall  be  the  length 
thereof,  and  a  span  shall  be  the 
breadth  thereof. 

17  o  And  thou  shalt  set  m  it  set- 
tings of  stones,  even  four  rows  of 
stones;  the  first  row  shall  be  a  sar- 

och.  39. 10,  &c. 

brocade  as  the  Ephod,  of  two  spans  in 
length  and  one  in  breadth.  Conse- 
quently when  doubled  it  was  just  a 
span  or  eighteen  inches  square.  For 
what  reason  it  was  doubled  is  not  ap- 
parent. Some  suppose  it  was  to  give 
it  more  strength  in  bearing  the  precious 
stones  appended  to  it.  But  for  our- 
selves we  are  unable  to  see  how  the 
back  fold  could  have  aided  in  support- 
ing the  weight  of  the  stones  in  front. 
Far  preferable  therefore  to  us  seems 
the  opinion,  that  it  was  doubled  thus  in 
order  that  being  sewed  together  on  three 
sides  and  left  open  on  one  it  might 
form  a  kind  of  sack,  pocket,  or  bag,  as 
a  receptacle  of  something  which  was  to 
be  put  in  it.  But  of  this  more  in  the 
sequel.  At  each  corner  of  the  Breast- 
plate thus  made  into  a  square  form  was 
a  golden  ring.  To  the  two  upper  ones 
were  attached  two  golden  chains  of 
•wreathen  work,  i.  e.  chains  made  of 
golden  threads  or  wires  braided  to- 
gether, which  passed  up  to  the  shoul- 
ders and  were  there  somehow  fastened 
to  the  shoulder-pieces  or  to  the  onyx- 
stones.  By  means  of  these  chains  it  was 
suspended  on  the  breast.  But  to  render 
it  still  more  firm  in  its  position,  two 
laces  or  ribbons  of  blue  were  passed 
through  the  two  rings  at  the  two  lower 
corners  of  the  Breast-plate,  and  also 
through  two  corresponding  rings  in  the 
Ephod,  and  then  tied  together  a  little 
above  the  girdle  of  the  Ephod.  This 
rendered  the  Breast-plate  and  Ephod 
inseparable,  so  that  the  latter  could  not 
be  put  on  without  being  accompanied 
by  the  former,  and  the  punishment  of 
stripes  was  decreed  against  him  who 


dius,  a  topaz,  and  a  carbuncle :  this 
shall  be  the  first  row. 

18  And  the  second  row  shall  be 
an  emerald,  a  sapphire,  and  a  dia- 
mond. 

19  And  the  third  row  a  ligure,  an 
agate,  and  an  amethyst. 

20  And  the  fourth  row  a  beryl, 


should  attempt  to  divide  the  one  from 
the  other. 

17.  Thou  shalt  set  in  it  settings  of 
stones.  Heb.  "^nii  til^'^'Kl  in  r,&4):?3 
mill'etha  bo  milluath  eben,  thou  shalt 
fill  in  it  fillings  of  stones.  The  import 
undoubtedly  is  tliat  these  stones  were 
to  be  set  or  enchased  in  sockets  of  gold 
or  some  other  metal,  and  they  are  call- 
ed fillings  because  the  stones  when  in- 
serted filled  tip  the  cavities  prepared  for 
their  reception.  The  precise  manner  in 
which  these  twelve  precious  stones, 
which  had  the  names  of  the  twelve 
tribes  engraved  upon  them,  were  at- 
tached to  the  Breast-plate  is  not  ex- 
pressed in  the  text,  though  it  is  usually 
understood  by  commentators  to  have 
been  upon  the  outside,  and  that  they 
were  fully  exposed  to  view  when  worn 
upon  the  High  Priest's  bosom.  This, 
however,  is  not  asserted  in  the.  text, 
and  we  shall  soon  suggest  several  rea- 
sons for  doubting  whether  it  were  the 
fact.  It  is  certain  that  the  stones  were 
in  some  way  appended  to  the  Breast- 
plate, and  that  they  were  arranged  in 
four  rows,  three  in  each,  but  as  to  the 
peculiar  manner  in  which  they  were 
adjusted  to  the  supporting  ground  of 
the  tapestry,  this  is  a  point  which  is  to 
be  inferred  from  an  attentive  consider- 
ation of  all  the  circumstances  relating 
to  the  fabric  itself,  and  upon  this  we 
shall  be  more  full  in  a  subsequent  note. 
At  present  we  shall  devote  a  page  or 
two  to  the  consideration  of  the  stones 
themselves,  in  relation  to  which  we  are 
constrained  to  remark  that  after  all  the 
research  expended  by  antiquarians  upon 
the  subject  much  uncertainty  still  rest.s 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


149 


upon  it.  They  cannot  be  satisfactorily 
identified.  We  can  only  approach  a 
■probability,  more  or  less  strong,  that 
the  gems  which  we  now  call  the  topaz, 
emerald,  sapphire,  carbuncle,  &c.,  do 
truly  answer  to  the  original  terms  which 
they  are  thus  made  to  represent  in  Eng- 
lish. Our  explanations  must  be  taken 
therefore  by  the  reader  subject  to  the 
necessary  abatement  on  this  score. 

1.  Sardius.  Heb.  iDlJi  odem,  from 
the  radical  'mi<  adam,  to  be  ruddy  or 
red.  Chal.  '^pl'DD  samkan,  and  Htlp?2D 
samkctha,  red.  Gr.  aapSiov,  sardine,  a 
name  supposed  to  be  taken  from  Sardis 
or  Sardinia,  where  it  was  originally 
found.  It  was  a  stone  of  the  ruby  class, 
and  answers  to  the  carnelian  of  the 
moderns.  The  finest  specimens  now 
come  from  Surat,  a  city  near  the  gulf 
of  Cambay  in  India. 

2.  Topaz.  Heb.  HTJQ  pitdah.  Ety- 
mology  unknown.  Gr.  To-rra^iov,  topaz- 
ion,  a  name  which  Pliny  says  is  derived 
from  Topazos,  an  island  in  the  Red 
Sea.  Chal.  p**,"!  yarkan  and  i^np^'i 
yarketha,  signifying  green.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  modern  chrysolite,  and 
its  color  to  have  been  a  transparent 
green-yellow.  It  comes  now  from 
Egypt,  where  it  is  found  in  alluvial 
strata. 

3.  Carbuncle.  Heh.  t^'p^'2bareketh, 
from  p^n  bai-ak,  to  lighten,  glitter,  or 
glister;  answering  to  the  avdpa^  anth- 
rax, of  the  Greeks,  so  called  because 
when  held  to  the  sun  it  resembles  a 
piece  of  bright  burning  charcoal.  In- 
deed its  name  carbuncle  means  a  little 
coal,  and  refers  us  at  once  to  a  lively  coal- 
red.  Its  modern  name  is  the  garnet. 
The  Septuagint,  Josephus,  and  Lat. 
Vulgate  have  rendered  in  this  place  by 
aiJiapaySoi  smaragdos,  emerald.  But  this 
is  more  properly  the  rendering  of  the 
next  in  order.  The  carbuncle  and  the 
emerald  have  in  fact  in  some  way  be- 
come transposed  in  the  Greek  version. 

4.  Emerald.  Heb.  HSI]  nophek.  Gr. 
avBp'x^.     This  gem  is  undoubtedly  the 

13* 


same  with  the  ancient  smaragdos,  or 
emerald,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  the  precious  stones.  It  is  character- 
ised by  a  bright  green  color,  with 
scarcely  any  mixture,  though  differing 
somewhat  in  degrees.  The  true  Ori- 
ental emerald  is  now  very  scarce.  The 
best  that  are  at  present  accessible  are 
from  Peru.  In  the  lime  of  Moses  they 
came  from  India. 

5.  Sapphire.  Heb.  '"I'^SD  sappir.  Gr. 
(raK(peipos  sapphiros.  The  word  is  very 
nearly  the  same  in  all  known  languages, 
and  as  to  the  sapphire  itself  it  is,  after 
the  diamond,  the  most  valuable  of  the 
gems,  exceeding  all  others  in  lustre  and 
hardness.  It  is  of  a  sky-blue,  or  fine  az- 
ure color,  in  all  the  choicest  specimens, 
though  other  varieties  occur.  Indeed 
among  practical  jewellers  it  is  a  name 
of  wider  application  perhaps  than  that 
of  any  of  the  rest  of  the  precious  stones. 
Pliny  says  that  in  his  time  the  best 
sapphires  came  from  Media.  At  present 
they  are  found  in  greater  or  less  per- 
fection in  nearly  every  country. 

6.  Diamond.  Heb.  t^tTi  yahalom, 
from  Q^n  halam,  to  beat,  to  smite  upon, 
so  called  from  its  extraordinary  hard- 
ness, by  which  like  a  hammer  it  will 
beat  to  pieces  any  of  the  other  sorts  of 
stones.  Thus  the  Greeks  called  the 
diamond  aSaixag,  adamas,  from  Gr.  a,  not 
and  Sajxao},  damao,  to  subdue,  on  account 
of  its  supposed  invincible  hardness. 
Accordingly  Pliny  says  of  diamonds, 
that  '  they  are  found  to  resist  a  stroke 
on  the  anvil  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
iron  itself  gives  way  and  the  anvil  is 
shattered  to  pieces.'  This  is  no  doubt 
exaggerated  and  fabulous,  but  it  is  suffi- 
cient to  justify  the  propriety  of  the  He- 
brew name,  that  diamonds  are  mttch 
harder  than  other  precious  stones,  and 
in  this  all  are  agreed.  This  quality  of 
the  diamond,  together  with  its  incom- 
parable brilliancy,  renders  it  by  far  the 
most  valuable  of  all  the  gems.  The  Gr. 
here  has  taaTm  jaspis,  or  jasper. 

7.  Ligure.    Heb.  CUb  leshem.    Gr 


150 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


and  an  onyx,  and  a  jasper:  ihey 
shall  be  set  in  gold  in  their  enclos- 
ings. 

21  And  the  stones  shall  be  with 
the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
twelve,  according  to  their  names, 
like  the  engravings  of  a  signet; 
every  one  with  his  name  shall  they 
be  according  to  the  twelve  tribes. 

22  HAnd  thou  shalt  make  upon 
the  breast-plate  chains  at  the  ends 
q/*  wreathen  work  o/pure  gold. 

23  And  thou  shalt  make  upon  the 
breast-plate  two  rings  of  gold,  and 
shalt  put  the  two  rings  on  the  two 
ends  of  the  breast-plate. 

24  And  thou  shalt  put  the  two 
wreathen  chains  of  gold  in  the  two 
rings  which  are  on  the  ends  of  the 
breast-plate. 

\iyvpiov,  ligurion.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  doubtful  of  the  precious  stones  as 
to  color.  It  is  supposed  to  be  closely 
related  to  the  hyacinth  (jacinth)  of 
the  moderns,  which  is  a  red  strongly 
tinged  with  orange-yellow. 

8.  Agate.  Heb.  ^^ID  shebo.  Gr, 
a^aTTji,  achates,  agate.  This  is  a  stone 
of  a  great  variety  of  hues,  which  is 
thought  by  some  to  be  identical  with 
the  chrysopras,  and  if  so  it  is  probably 
that  a  golden  green  was  the  predomin- 
ant color. 

9.  Amethyst.  Heb.  ril^^Hi^  ahla- 
mah.  Gr.  a^cdvaroi^  amethystos,  from 
a,  not,  and  ncdvarog,  drunken,  because 
wine  drank  froni  an  amethyst  cup  was 
supposed  by  the  ancients  to  prevent 
inebriation.  The  oriental  amethyst  is 
a  transparent  gem,  the  color  of  which 
seems  to  be  eomposed  of  a  strong  blue 
and  a  deep  red  ;  and  according  as  either 
prevails,  affording  different  tinges  of 
purple,  and  sometimes  even  fading  to  a 
rose  color.  It  comes  from  Persia,  Ara- 
bia, Armenia,  and  the  East  Indies. 

10.  Beryl.  Heb.  '^J'^D^n  tarshish. 
Gr.  ;;^pDffoXi9o?,  chrysolifhos.  A  pellu- 
cid gem  of  a  sea  or  bhrish  green.     But 


25  And  the  other  two  ends  of  the 
two  wreathen  chains  thou  shalt 
fasten  in  the  two  ouches,  and  put 
them  on  the  shoulder-pieces  of  the 
ephod  before  it. 

26  IT  And  thou  shalt  make  two 
rings  of  gold,  and  thou  shalt  put 
them  upon  the  two  ends  of  the 
breast-plate  in  the  border  thereof, 
which  is  in  the  side  of  the  ephod 
inward. 

27  And  two  other  rings  of  gold 
thou  shalt  make,  and  shalt  put 
them  on  the  two  sides  of  the  ephod 
underneath,  toward  the  fore-part 
thereof,  over  against  the  other  coup- 
ling thereof,  above  the  curious  gir- 
dle of  the  ephod. 

28  Andthey  shall  bind  the  breast- 
plate by  the  rings  thereof  unto  the 


if,  as  many  mineralogists  and  critics 
suppose,  the  beryl  is  the  same  as  the 
chrysolite,  it  is  a  gem  of  yellowish  green 
color,  and  ranks  at  present  among  the 
topazes. 

11.  Onyx.  Heb.  ttl'IJ  shoham-  call- 
ed onyx  from  Gr.  ow^,  onyx,  from  its 
resemblance  of  its  ground  color  to  that 
lunated  spot  at  the  base  of  the  human 
nail,  which  the  Greek  word  signifies. 
It  is  a  semi-pellucid  stone  of  a  fine 
flinty  texture,  of  a  waterish  sky-colored 
ground,  variegated  with  bands  of  ivhite 
and  brown,  which  run  parallel  to  each 
other.  It  is  here  rendered  by  the  Gr. 
firjpvX'Xiuv,  beryllion,  beryl,  from  some 
apparent  confusion  in  the  order  of  the 
names.    See  Note  on  Gen.  2.  }2. 

12.  Jasper.  Heh.il'DTli'^yashepheh. 
Gr.  owxun',  onuchion.  The  similarity 
of  the  Hebrew  name  has  determined 
most  critics  to  consider  the  jasper  as 
the  gem  intended  by  this  designation. 
This  is  a  stone  distinguished  by  such  a 
vast  variety  of  hues,  that  it  is  extreme- 
ly  hazardous  to  fix  upon  any  one  as  its 
distinguishing  color.  The  brown  Egyp- 
tian variety  is  conjectured  to  have  been 
the  one  selected  for  the  Breast-plate. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


151 


The  annexed  cut,  conformed  to  the  I  lish  name  we  consider  as  unfortunately 
usual  model,  will  convey  a  tolerably  chosen.  Pectoral,  i.  e.  breast-plate  is 
correct  idea  of  the  general  form  and  ap-  j  decidedly  preferable.  Josephus  calls 
pearance  of  the  Breast-plate.   The  Eng-  I  it  Essen. 


The  Breast-plate. 


21.  And  the  atones  shall  be  with  the 
names.  Heb.  tl^OlD  ^3?  al  shemoth,  upon 
the  names.  The  more  natural  and  di- 
rect phraseology  would  be — '  the  names 
shall  be  upon  the  stones,'  but  the  ex- 
pression is  idiomatic,  and  probably  im- 
plies that  the  stones  should  be  accom- 
panied or  distinguished  by  the  names  ; 
or  we  may  adopt  the  construction  of 
Noldius  (De  Heb.  Partic.  sub  voc.  ^5)) 
and  all  the  ancient  versions,  and  render 
it — 'the  stones  shall  be  according  to 


the  names  of  the  children  of  Israe  , 
which  probably  involves  the  complex 
idea  of  the  stones  corresponding  with 
the  names  in  number,  and  also  of  having 
the  names  actually  sculptured  upon 
them. 

28.  Unto  the  rings  of  the  ephod.  01 
these  two  rings  nothing  was  said  in  the 
account  of  the  construction  of  the  Ephod 
above ;  probably  because  the  use  of 
them  would  not  so  fully  appear  till  the 
Breast-plate  and  its  position  came  to 


152 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


rings  of  the  ephod  with  a  lace  of 
blue,  that  it  may  be  above  the  cu- 
rious girdle  of  the  ephod,  and  that 
the  breast-plate  be  not  loosed  from 
the  ephod. 
29  And   Aaron    shall    bear    the 

be  described  as  is  done  in  the  present 
context. 

29.  Aaron  shall  bear  the  names,  &c., 
in  the  breast-plate  of  judgment  upon  his 
heart.  The  phrase  '  upon  his  heart' 
is  not  properly  to  be  understood  in  this 
connexion  in  a  physical  sense,  as  if 
equivalent  to  '  upon  his  breast,'  '  upon 
his  bosom.'  This  is  not  the  usage  of 
the  Hebrew  in  regard  to  the  word 
'heart.'  After  a  pretty  thorough  ex- 
amination of  the  many  hundreds  of  cases 
in  which  the  term  occurs  in  the  sacred 
writers,  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  a 
single  instance,  apart  from  the  present, 
in  which  it  is  unequivocally  employed 
in  a  physiological  sense,  to  denote  that 
grand  organ  of  the  human  body  which 
anatomists  call  '  the  lieart.'  The  pas- 
sage which  comes  nearest  to  such  a 
sense  is  that  in  Is.  1.  5,  'The  whole 
head  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint.' 
Yet  even  here  the  metaphorical  sense 
is  predominant ;  for  as  the  sickness  is 
not  corporeal,  but  moral,  so  the  mem- 
bers affected  are  to  be  considered  as 
equally  figurative.  According  to  the 
prevailing  usage  of  Scripture,  the  heart 
is  regarded  as  the  seat  of  intelligence 
and  emotion.  The  feelings  of  love, 
hope,  fear,  joy,  sorrow,  &c.,  are  refer- 
red to  the  heart;  and  in  the  present 
case  we  cannot  question  that  although 
as  a  matter  of  fact  the  Breast-plate  was 
worn  over  the  region  of  the  heart,  yet 
the  dominant  idea  conveyed  by  the 
phrase  is,  that  Aaron  was  to  bear  these 
names  of  the  tribes  in  his  kind  and 
affectionate  remembrance  whenever  he 
went  into  the  holy  place.  The  beauti- 
ful sculptured  gems  were  to  be  to  him 
a  memorial  or  memento  of  the  fact  that 
the  interests  of  the  whole  people  were 


names  of  the  children  of  Israel  in 
the  breast-plate  of  judgment  upon 
his  heart,  when  he  goeth  in  unto 
the  holy  place,  v  for  a  memorial  be- 
fore the  Lord  continually. 


P  ver.  12. 


committed  to  him  as  their  represent- 
ative, and  that  he  should  never  cease  to 
feel  burdened  in  soul  with  this  grave 
responsibility,  especially  whenever  he 
was  called  to  act  in  his  capacity  as  sa- 
cer dotal  judge  of  the  chosen  tribes.  In 
this  fact  we  are  no  doubt  at  liberty  to 
read  one  very  interesting  feature  of  the 
typical  intent  of  the  jewelled  Breast- 
plate. The  priesthood  of  Aaron  shadow- 
ed forth  the  infinitely  greater  and  more 
glorious  priesthood  of  Christ.  In  the 
execution  of  his  office  as  the  great  High 
Priest  of  the  Church,  he  was  ordained 
to  enter  into  the  holy  place,  there  to 
appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us. 
This  he  has  done.  He  ascended  to 
heaven  after  his  resurrection,  that  he 
might  there  complete  the  work  he  had 
begun  on  earth.  On  his  heart  are  en- 
graven the  names  of  all  his  people,  and 
not  one  of  them  is  overlooked  or  for- 
gotten. He  presents  them  all  before 
his  Father,  as  the  objects  of  his  own 
kind  and  solicitous  sympathy  and  care^ 
and  they  are  dear  to  the  Father,  because 
they  are  dear  to  the  Son.  As  he  thus 
bears  these  his  jewels  on  his  heart 
while  they  are  toiling  and  travailing 
here  below,  so  will  he  finally  transfer 
them  from  his  bosom  to  his  head,  mak- 
ing them  to  adorn  his  diadem  forever  in 
the  kingdom  of  his  glory. 

But  this  does  not  forbid  the  supposi- 
tion, that  in  relation  to  God  the  stones 
of  the  Breast-plate  may  have  subserved 
still  another  purpose.  Certain  it  is  that 
the  whole  scope  of  the  context  leads  us  to 
view  them  as  indicating  not  only  the 
subjects,  but  also  the  instruments,  of 
those  judicial  decisions  about  which 
they  were  employed.  They  were  in 
some  way  made  use  of  as  a  medium  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


153 


the  oracular  responses  which  the  High 
Priest  obtained  by  consultation  from 
Jehovah  in  behalf  of  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple. But  as  this  presents  them  in  a 
distinct  point  of  view,  as  intimately 
connected,  if  not  absolutely  identified, 
with  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  we  shall 
defer  the  sequel  of  our  remarks  on  the 
Breast-plate  till  we  come  to  the  con- 
sideration of  that  very  interesting  but 
abstruse  subject. 

In  the  mean  time,  we  cannot  forbear 
presenting  the  reader  with  the  follow- 
ing translated  extract  from  the  work  of 
Bahr  before  mentioned,  in  relation  to 
the  joint  symbolical  uses  of  the  Ephod 
and  the  Breast-plate. 

*  The  Ephod  and  the  Hoshen  or  Pec- 
toral, which  formed  the  third  general 
division  of  the  High  Priest's  vestments, 
and  signified  the  kingly  dignity,  do  not 
stand  in  subordinate  relation  the  one  to 
the  other,  so  that  the  Hoshen  was 
merely  an  appendage  to  the  Ephod, 
but  they  are  both  treated  in  the  orig- 
inal as  independent  articles,  yet  at 
the  same  time  making  together  one 
whole.  The  dignity  also  which  they 
represent,  must  be  in  some  way  of  a 
two-fold  nature,  or  which  exhibits  it- 
self under  a  double  aspect ;  and  thus  in 
fact  was  the  kingly  dignity,  both  among 
the  Hebrews  and  all  oriental  antiquity 
conceived  of,  viz.,  as  uniting  in  itself 
the  two  grand  prerogatives  of  lordship 
and  judgment.  Thus,  1  Sam.  8.  5,  6, 
'And  said  unto  him.  Behold,  thou  art 
old,  and  thy  sons  walk  not  in  thy  ways : 
now  make  us  a  king  to  judge  us  like 
all  the  nations.  But  the  thing  dis- 
pleased Samuel,  when  they  said.  Give 
us  a  king  to  judge  us :  and  Samuel 
prayed  unto  the  Lord.'  So  also  20, 
'That  we  also  may  be  like  all  the  na- 
tions ;  and  that  oiir  king  may  judge  us, 
and  go  out  before  us,  and  fight  our  bat- 
tles.' 2  Sam.  15.  4,  'Absalom  said 
moreover,  Oh  that  I  were  made  judge 
in  the  land,  that  every  man  which  hath 
any  suit  or  cause  might  come  unto  me, 


and  I  would  do  him  justice ."  1  Kings, 
3.  9,  'Give  therefore  thy  servant  an  un- 
derstanding heart  to  judge  thy  people, 
that  I  may  discern  between  good  and 
bad :  for  who  is  able  to  judge  this  thy 
so  great  a  people?'  So  Artemidorus 
the  Oneirocritic  remarks,  Kpnxiv  to 
api^eii'  eXcyov  ol  iraAatoi,  the  Undents 
said  that  reigning  was  judging.  Now 
the  reigning  dignity  is  plainly  indi- 
cated by  the  Ephod,  inasmuch  as  we 
have  already  observed,  that  its  dis- 
tinguishing feature  was  the  shoulder- 
piece  (Gr,  eiriojiis) ,  and  the  shoulder  both 
in  sacred  and  profane  antiquity  is  con- 
sidered as  the  seat  of  sovereignty.  Thus 
Isaiah  says  of  the  Messiah,  ch.  9.  5, 
'And  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulder.'  So  also  according  to  an  In- 
dian myth,  when  the  different  castes 
came  forth  from  the  body  of  Brahma, 
kings  and  warlike  heroes  issued  from 
the  shoulder.  That  the  same  idea  was 
familiar  among  the  Romans  would  ap- 
pear from  the  words  of  Pliny  (Panegyr. 
10.),  'Cum  abunde  expertus  esset  pater, 
quam  bene  humeris  tuis  sedet  imperi- 
um,'  since  (thy)  father  hath  abundant- 
ly proved  how  well  dominion  sits  upon 
thy  shoulders.  The  symbolical  import 
is  the  same  when  upon  the  shoulder  of 
a  statue  of  the  Egyptian  king  Sesostris 
the  inscription  was  read  ;  Eya»  r/jv^s 
'^(x)pr]v  MiAoiai  roici  Cj^ioiai  EKTj](jajiT}v,  I 
have  acquired  this  province  by  my 
shoulders.  In  accordance  with  this, 
the  usual  insignia  o[  ruling,  viz.,  sword 
and  keys,  were  suspended  from  the 
shoulder.  Thus,  Is.  22.  22,  'And  the 
key  of  the  house  of  David  will  I  lay 
upon  his  shoulder;  so  he  shall  open, 
and  none  shall  shut ;  and  he  shall  shut, 
and  none  shall  open.'  That  the  sword 
himg  from  the  shoulder  among  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  will  be  seen  by 
reference  to  Hom.  II.  2.  45.  Lipsius  in 
Tac.  Annal.  1.  35.  As  to  what  relates 
to  the  judicial  prerogative,  we  need  not 
go  beyond  the  designation  given  in  the 
original  to  the  Breast-plate,  viz.,  ^^n 


154 


EXODUy. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


30  H  And  q  thou  shalt  put  in  the 
breast-plate  of  judgment  tlie  Urim 
and  the  Thummim ;  and  they  shall 

q  Lev.  8.  8.  Numb,  27.  21.  Deut.  33.  8. 
1  Sam.  28.  6.     Ezra,  2.  63.     Neh.  7.  65. 

t3B^?3  hoshen  mishpat,  breast-plate  of 
judgment,  to  show  its  symbolical  bear- 
ing.' Symbol,  des  Mos.  Cult.,  vol.  II. 
p.  127 — 9.  If  this  view  of  the  subject 
be  well  founded,  we  think  there  is 
strong  reason  to  believe,  that  the  use 
of  epaulettes  as  a  badge  of  authority  and 
imperatorial  command  is  to  be  traced 
back  through  the  line  of  past  centuries 
to  the  Shoulder-piece  of  the  ancient 
Ephod.  This  article  of  military  ac- 
coutrement forms  at  any  rale  a  sub- 
ject of  very  curious  historical  interest, 
which  might  well  demand  a  ihorougli 
investigation. 

THE  URIM   AND    THUMMIM. 

SO.  Thou  shalt  put  in  the  breast- 
plate of  judgment  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim. Heb.  tD'^^^nn  rJSI  tD'^'^li^  urim 
ve-eth  hattummim,  the  Lights  and  the 

Perfections.     Gr.   Trjv   6r,\oiaiv  kui  aXrjO- 

eiav,  the  manifestation  and  the  truth. 
Aq.  '  Enlightenings  and  Certainties.' 
Sam.  'Elucidations  and  Perfections.' 
Syr. '  the  Lucid  and  the  Perfect.'  Arab. 
'  Illuminations  and  Certainties.'  Lat. 
Vulg.  '  Doctrine  and  Verity.'  Luth. 
'Light  and  Right.'  The  Hebrew  terms 
signify  primarily  fires  or  lights,  and 
perfections  or  truth.  Perfection  and 
truth  are  in  Scripture  style  virtually 
equivalent  in  import,  because  what  is 
perfected  is  truly  done,  neither  false, 
vain,  or  unexecuted,  but  accomplished. 
The  sacred  writers,  therefore,  who 
often  conjoin  synonymous  terms,  have 
brought  these  epithets  together  in  sev- 
eral instances,  as  Josh.  24.  14,  'Fear 
the  Lord  and  serve  him  in  perfection 
and  truth  (!ri)35<!n  C^^tl^  betummim 
ubeemeth)',^  i.e.  really  and  perfectly. 
Thus  also  '  according  to  truth,'  Rom. 
2.  2,  is  the  same  as  most  certainly  to  he 


be  upon  Aaron's  heart,  when  lie 
goeth  in  before  the  Lord:  and 
Aaron  shall  bear  the  judgment  of 
the  children  of  Israel  upon  his  heart 
before  the  Lord  continually. 

accomplished j  wherefore  epyov  work  or 
deed,  and  a\r]Oeta  truth,  1  John,  3.  18, 
are  synonymous ;  '  My  little  children 
let  us  not  love  in  word  or  in  tongue,  but 
in  deed  and  in  truth.'  That  the  divine 
oracles  were  perfect  or  truth  no  one 
will  doubt  who  reflects  a  moment  on 
their  source,  and  who  recals  the  ex- 
pression of  the  Psalmist,  Ps.  119.  130, 
'The  entrance  (Gr.  ^jyXwo-i?,  the  mani- 
festation) of  thy  word  givelh  light.' 
Others,  however,  understand  the  phrase 
as  an  instance  of  hendiadys,  denoting 
under  a  double  denomination  one  and 
the  same  thing,  or  as  equivalent  to 
most  perfect  light  or  illumination.  The 
same  figure  occurs  Deut.  16.  IS.  Mat. 
4.  16.  comp.  with  Job,  10.  21.  John, 
3.5. 

In  the  Urim  and  Thummin,  a  subject 
of  great  interest,  and  at  the  same  time 
of  great  difficulty,  opens  upon  us.  "Vari- 
ous and  voluminous  haA'e  been  the  spec- 
ulations of  learned  men  in  respect  to 
Avhat  is  meant  by  these  objects,  and 
the  precise  manner  in  which  they  were 
made  instrumental  in  obtaining  orac- 
ular responses  from  God.  We  cannot, 
in  consistency  with  our  general  plan 
of  exposition,  avoid  entering  some- 
what minutely  into  the  investigation  of 
both  these  points ;  and  yet  we  are  un- 
able to  assure  ourselves  of  presenting 
the  evidence  under  either  head  in  such 
a  light  as  to  command  the  entire  assent 
of  our  readers  to  the  resulting  con- 
clusions. Should  we  fail  of  success  in 
this,  we  shall  at  least  but  share  the 
defeat  of  most  of  our  predecessors  in 
the  same  field  of  enquiry,  yet  we  are 
not  without  hope  that  our  usual  method 
of  rigid  philological  analysis  and  paral- 
lel induction  may  conduct  us  to  results 
of  a  somewhat  satisfactory  character  ; 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


155 


and  as  this  is  the  last  point  connected 
with  the  Hebrew  ritual  which  will  re- 
quire a  very  elaborate  discussion,  we 
shall  with  more  confidence  bespeak  the 
reader's  indulgence  for  a  train  of  remark 
more  than  usually  extended. 

I.  The  first  question  repsecting  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  regards  their  «c- 
tu7-e.  What  were  they?  Certain  it  is,  that 
we  find  no  previous  mention  of  them  ; 
no  order  given  for  their  construction ; 
and  no  intimation  that  these  names 
were  ever  applied  to  any  of  the  articles 
which  Moses  icas  directed  to  make. 
The  obscurity  in  which  the  subject  is 
involved  in  the  sacred  text,  together 
with  the  infinite  conjectures  to  which  it 
has  given  rise,  has  led  some  comment- 
ators to  the  conclusion  that  the  matter 
is,  and  was  intended  to  be,  one  of  in- 
scrutable mystery,  which  it  is  vain  to 
think  of  penetrating.  In  this  they  vir- 
tually subscribe  to  the  opinion  of  the 
learned  Kimchi,  who  remarks,  that  'he 
is  on  the  safest  side  who  frankly  con- 
fesses his  ignorance  ;  so  that  we  seem 
to  need  a  priest  to  stand  up  with  Urim 
and  Thummim  to  teach  us  what  the 
Thummim  were.'  The  question,  how- 
ever, may  be  properly  narrowed  down 
to  a  single  point,  which  perhaps  admits 
of  solution,  viz.,  were  the  Urim  and 
Thummim  identical  with  the  stones  of 
the  Breast-plate,  or  something  distinct 
from  them?  On  this  question  the  mass 
of  commentators  divide.  Several  of  the 
Jewish  Rabbis  among  the  ancients,  and 
Spencer,  Michaelis,  Jahn,  and  Gesenius 
among  the  moderns  contend  that  they 
were  something  entirely  distinct  from 
the  Pectoral,  and  deposited  within  the 
pocket  or  bag  made  of  its  folds.  Some 
of  the  earlier  Hebrew  doctors  say  that 
what  is  called  the  Urim  and  Thummim 
were  nothing  else  than  an  inscription 
upon  a  plate  of  gold  of  the  Tetragram- 
jTiaton  or  four-lettered  name  of  God 
(nttT^  Yehovah),  by  the  mystic  virtue 
of  which  the  High  Priest  was  enabled 
lo  pronounce  luminous  and  perfect  ora- 


cles to  tlie  people.  .  But  this  is  a  con- 
ceit wliich  may  be  safely  passed  to  tlie 
account  of  the  wild  and  childish  fig- 
ments of  the  Talmudical  Rabbins, 
which  it  would  require  the  same  weak- 
ness to  refute  as  to  adopt. 

A  theory  coming  from  a  far  higher 
source,  and  yet  almost  equally  extrav- 
agant, is  that  proposed  by  Spencer  in 
his  voluminous  and  in  many  respects 
valuable  work  on  the  Laws  of  the  He- 
brews. He  supposes  that  the  Urim 
were  the  same  with  the  Teraphim,  and 
that  they  were  nothing  more  than  small 
divining  images,  put  into  the  lining  of 
the  Breast-plate,  which  were  miracu- 
lously made  to  speak  with  an  articulate 
voice  and  utter  oracles  from  God.  But 
it  would  be  scarcely  possible  to  have  in- 
troduced  into  the  service  of  the  sanctu- 
ary any  thing  more  directly  idolatrous 
and  pagan  in  its  tendencies  than  such 
a  device  ;  and  when  we  consider  how 
carefully  the  whole  Mosaic  system 
guards  against  that  propensity  to  image- 
worship  which  the  Israelites  evidently 
brought  with  them  from  Egypt,  we  can- 
not but  be  surprised  that  a  theory  so 
utterly  abhorrent  to  the  genius  of  Juda- 
ism  should  have  been  proposed  by  a 
Christian  writer.  It  is  but  justice, 
however,  to  the  erudite  Spencer  to  say, 
that  he  is  far  more  successful  in  urging 
objections  to  the  common  theories  than 
in  establishing  his  own.  His  dissert 
ation  on  the  Urim  and  Thummim  is 
preemmently  able  and  learned,  not- 
withstanding  the  obvious  error  of  his 
main  position,  nor  is  it  by  any  means 
an  easy  task  to  dispose  of  the  philo- 
logical and  critical  arguments  by  which 
he  aims  to  prove,  that  the  objects  so 
called,  whatever  they  were,  were  some- 
thing put  into  the  lining  or  folds  of  the 
Breast-plate,  instead  of  being  externally 
attached  to  it.  \7e  are  on  the  whole 
constrained  to  yield  a  qualified  assent 
to  the  force  of  his  reasonings  on  this 
head,  while  at  the  same  time  the  sequel 
will  show,  that  this  admission  is  per-; 


156 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


fectl)'^  consistent  with  maintaining  the 
main  view  which  he  is  induced  to  reject. 
We  may  observe,  moreover,  while 
adverting  to  the  work  of  Spencer,  that 
we  are  firmly  ol'  opinion  that  much 
more  weight  is  due  to  the  grand  idea 
pervading  it,  of  the  conformity  in  many 
features  of  the  Jewish  to  the  Egyptian 
system  of  worship,  than  has  usually 
been  conceded.  Certain  it  is  that  with- 
in the  last  fifty  years  new  sources  of 
evidence  have  been  opened  upon  this 
subject,  by  which  the  state  of  the  ques- 
tion has  been  entirely  altered,  from  one 
of  argument  to  one  of  fact.  These 
sources  are  found  in  the  ancient  paint- 
ings and  sculptures  of  Egypt,  which  ex- 
hibit with  great  minuteness  of  detail 
not  only  the  usages  of  that  extraordi- 
nary nation  in  peace  and  war,  but  por- 
tray also  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
their  religion,  with  the  various  acts 
performed,  the  utensils  employed,  the 
dresses  and  ornaments  worn,  by  the 
Egyptian  priesthood  in  the  services  of 
their  gods.  The  result  of  the  com- 
parison will  set  the  question  of  in- 
ter-conformity between  the  two  systems 
at  rest.  It  is  impossible  to  deny  that 
the  most  remarkable  similarities  ob- 
tain in  the  ceremonial  observances  and 
the  forms  and  apparatus  of  divine  wor- 
ship established  among  the  two  people. 
The  reader  has  only  to  turn  back  to  a 
preceding  page,  and  compare  the  cut  of 
an  Egyptian  Ark  borne  by  priests'with 
Moses's  account  of  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  and  the  manner  in  which  it 
was  carried,  for  a  striking  specimen  of 
this  coincidence.  How  the  coincidence 
originated — whether  it  was  accidental ; 
or  whether  the  Jews  borrowed  from  the 
Egyptians,  or  the  Egyptians  from  the 
Jews  ;  or  whether  both  are  to  be  traced 
to  a  common  origin  in  the  patriarchal 
practice — is  a  question  not  easily  de- 
cided, though  for  ourselves  we  consider 
the  latter  supposition  as  by  far  the  most 
probable.  We  have  little  question  that 
an  antediluvian  ritual  existed,  some  of 


the  mam  features  of  which  were  trans- 
mitted, through  the  family  of  Noah,  to 
all  the  different  nations  of  antiquity, 
and  which  are  still  traceable  in  their 
various  superstitions,  though  sadly  de- 
formed, defaced,  and'perverted  by  the 
foul  admixture  of  corruptions  subse- 
quently introduced.  In  giving  the  Le- 
vitical  system  to  the  chosen  people,  God 
was  pleased  to  retain,  purified  from 
their  idolatrous  associations,  many  of 
the  peculiarities  which  marked  the 
Egyptian  worship,  not  because  they 
we?-e  Egyptian,  or  because  God  would 
unduly  consult  the  weaknesses  and  pre- 
judices of  the  chosen  people,  but  be- 
cause they  were  primitive  and  patri- 
archal, common  in  their  elementary 
forms  to  all  nations,  and  perhaps  orig- 
inally of  divine  institution.  This  we 
consider  a  view  of  the  subject  sufficient 
to  account  for  all  the  facts,  not  liable  to 
any  serious  objection,  and  one  which 
will  afford  us  essential  aid  in  the  ex- 
plication of  the  present  and  many  other 
features  of  the  Hebrew  ritual. 

The  other  and  much  more  probable 
opinion  relative  to  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim  is,  that  they  were  in  fact  identical 
with  the  stones  of  the  Breast-plate,  but 
called  by  this  name  from  the  instrti- 
mental  uses  which  they  were  made  to 
subserve  in  the  symbolical  economy  of 
the  priesthood.  This  opinion,  which  is 
held  by  Josephus,  Philo,  and  most  of 
tiie  ancient  Jewish  doctors,  and  has 
been  generally  adopted  by  the  rnoderns, 
is  supported  by  the  following  consider; 
atipns : 

(1.)  If  the  words  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim  be  regarded  as  epithets,  rather  thaja 
names,  applied  to  the  stones,  nothing 
could  be  more  appropriate.  From  their 
intrinsic  properties  of  splendor,  bril- 
liancy, and  luminousness,  they  might 
very  properly  be  termed  Lights  and 
Perfections,  an  expression  supposed  by 
many  to  be  grammatically  equivalent 
.to  most  perfect  lights.  This  is  the 
view  of  Braunius,  who  says  that  no^ 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


157 


only  were  precious  sloncs  lo  be  em- 
ployed, but  they  were  to  be  the  most 
shining  and  perfect  of  the  kind.  Ac- 
cordinglvj  v.  30  may  be  considered  as 
in  fact  an  emphatic  repetition  of  v,  29, 
intimating  that  the  work  commanded 
should  be  executed  in  the  most  exact 
and  scrupulous  manner  ;  that  such  stones 
should  be  provided  and  so  exquisitely 
polished  and  set,  as  to  present  the  most 
brilliant  a})pearance,  and  be  entitled  to 
the  significant  designation  of  Lights 
and  Perfections. 

(2.)  If  the  Urim  and  Thummim  were 
not  the  same  with  the  gems  of  the 
Breast-plate,  it  is  wholly  inexplicable 
that  the  sacred  narrative  gives  us  no 
account  of  them.  While  every  other 
part  of  the  ritual  is  described  with  the 
most  scrupulous  minuteness,  as  if  not  a 
pin  of  the  Tabernacle  or  a  thread  of 
the  priestly  garments  were  to  be  made 
Avithout  express  direction,  how  comes  it 
that  nothing  is  said  of  an  article  which, 
in  obtaining  responses  from  God,  was 
absolutely  indispensable  and  which  was 
in  every  respect  among  the  most  im- 
portant items  of  the  whole  apparatus  ? 
The  silence  of  the  historian,  tlierefore, 
on  this  point  nrmst  be  regarded  as  strong 
evidence  that  the  Urim  and  Thummim 
were  identical  with  the  stones. 

(3.)  It  will  be  observed  upon  com- 
paring Ex.  39.  8 — 21,  with  Lev.  8.  8,  that 
in  the  description  of  the  Breast-plate, 
given  in  the  former,  while  the  rows  of 
stones  are  mentioned,  nothing  is  said  of 
the  Urim  and  Thummim  ;  while  in  the 
latter,  which  speaks  of  the  investiture 
of  Aaron  with  the  pontifical  habit,  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  are  mentioned, 
but  the  stones  are  passed  over  in  silence. 
What  inference  more  obvious  than  that 
these  objects  were  in  fact  one  and  the 
spnae  ? 

In  order  to  concentrate  still  farther 
all  possible  collateral  light  on  this  point, 
we  shall  adduce  the  various  passages  in 
which  the  Urim  and  Thummim  are  men- 
tioned throughout  the  Scriptures. 

Vol.  II.  14 


Lev,  8.  8,  'And  he  put  the  breast- 
plate upon  him  ;  also  he  put  in  the 
breast-plate  the  Urim  arid  Thummim.^ 

Num.  27.  21.  'And  he  shall  stand  be- 
fore Eleazar  the  priest,  who  shall  ask 
counsel  for  him  after  the  judgment  of 
Urim  before  the  Lord.' 

Deut.  33.  8,  'And  of  Levi  he  said, 
Let  thy  Thummim  and  Urim  be  with 
thy  holy  one.' 

1  Sam.  28.  6,  '  And  when  Saul  in- 
quired of  the  Lord,  the  Lord  answered 
him  not,  neither  by  dreams,  nor  by 
Urim,  nor  by  prophets.' 

Ezra,  2.  63,  and  Neh.  7.  65,  'And  the 
Tirshatha  said  unto  them,  that  they 
should  not  eat  of  the  most  holy  things, 
till  there  stood  up  a  priest  with  Urim 
and  with  Thummum.' 

In  neither  of  these  passages  is  the 
language  any  more  decisive  than  the 
text  before  us  of  the  question  at  issue. 
The  first  of  them  does  indeed  speak 
very  expressly  of  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim being  put  into  the  Breast-plate, 
and  this  also  would  seem  to  be  the  un- 
equivocal sense  of  the  words  in  the 
verse  upon  which  we  are  now  com- 
menting ;  'Thou  shalt  put  in  the  breast' 
plate  of  judgmetit  (yrtl  ^i^  nJ^D 
tSST^Dn  nathatta  el  hoshen  hammish- 
pat)  the  Urim  and  Thummim.'  Chal. 
Yi^nn  bahoshen,  in  or  into  the  breast' 
plate.  The  phraseology  is  precisely 
similar  to  that  Ex.  25.  16,  21,  'And 
thou  shalt  put  into  the  ark  (Jji^  tin!] 
']1^S<n  nathatta  el  hadron)  the  testi- 
mony,' &c.  Nor  is  it  by  any  means 
unusual  lo  find  the  particle  ^S^  el  inter- 
changed with  D  b,  in  the  sense  of  in, 
into.  Thus  Gen.  49.  29,  'Bury  me  with 
my  fathei's  in  (^i^)  the  cave  that  is  in 
field,  of  Ephron.'  Ps.  104.  22,  '  The 
sun  ariseth,' they  gather  themselves  to- 
gether, and  lay  them  down  in  (^Jt) 
their  dens.'  1  Sam.  10.  22,  'And  the 
Lord  answerer!,  Behold,  he  hath  hid 
himself  OT/Jo/ig  C^'HC)  the  stuff.'  It  would 
seem  that  in  point  of  local  position  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  bore  the  same  re- 


158 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


lation  to  the  Breast-plate  which  the 
Tables  of  Testimony  did  to  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant ;  and  accordingly  R.  Levi 
ben  Gerson  in  Buxlorf  remarks  thus  ujion 
the  passage  before  us ;  'Because  Mos.es, 
after  inserting  the  precious  stones  in 
the  Pectoral,  was  commanded  to  put 
the  Urim  and  Thummim  into  the  same, 
we  cannot  help  believing  that  these  were 
something  which  Moses  put  into  the 
Pectoral  in  the  same  manner  in  which 
he  put  tables  into  the  Ark,  inasmuch  as 
he  expresses  both  by  the  same  phrase 

with  this  philological  evidence  be- 
fore us  we  know  not  how  to  avoid  the 
conclusion,  that  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim were  actually  f>u?  into  the  fold  or 
lining  of  the  Breast-plate,  and  the  only 
question  is,  how  this  idea  can  be  recon- 
ciled with  the  above  position,  that  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  and  the  precious 
stones  were  identical.  The  single  so- 
lution Avhich,  as  far  as  we  see,  can  re- 
concile two  positions  so  apparently  in 
conflict  is,  that  the  stones,  instead  of 
being  outwardly  attached  to  the  em- 
broidered work  of  the  Pectoral,  and 
thus  made  visible  to  the  beholder,  were 
in  fact  placed  upon  its  inside,  or  in 
other  words  lodged  within  the  lining  of 
the  Breast-plate,  and  entirely  out  of 
sight  to  any  eye  but  that  of  Omnis- 
cience. We  do  not  perceive  that  there 
is  any  thing  in  the  text,  however  rigidly 
scanned,  which  necessarily  requires  us 
to  understand  the  attachment  of  the 
stones  as  external  to  the  Breast-plate, 
nor  can  we  resist  the  belief  that  the 
main  use  of  the  Pectoral  was  that  of  a 
bag  or  pocket  in  which  something  was 
to  be  deposited.  If  it  served  merely  as 
a  ground  for  supporting  the  precious 
stones,  the  greater  part  of  it  would  ne- 
cessarily be  concealed  by  them,  and 
what  then  were  the  use  of  such  an  ex- 
quisite and  costly  material?  Would 
not  a  coarser  fabric  or  a  metallic  plate 
have  better  answered  the  purpose  ? 
Rabbi  Solomon,  as  quoted  by  Buxtorf, 


remarks  that  '  bolli  in  the  command 
to  place  the  inscribed  stones  u])on  the 
shoulder  of  Aaron,  and  in  the  account 
of  its  execution,  tlie  preposition  ^5^  al, 
upon,  occurs  in  order  to  teach  us  that 
they  were  placed  exteriorly  to  the 
Ephod,  whereas  in  speaking  of  the 
stones  of  the  Pectoral  the  preposition 
i  6  or  ^ii  el,  in,  is  uniformly  employ- 
ed, as  Ex.  28.  17,  ^n  ti)^l2  millitha  bo, 
thou  Shalt  fill  in  it.  Ex.  39.  10,  lii^TSil 
ID  va-yemalleu  bo.  and  they  filled  in  it. 
As  to  the  subjoined  phrase  IIQ^  ^5>  al 
libbo,  upon  his  heart,  that  is  used  to 
signify  that  they  were  to  be  hidden.' 

But  it  is  not  by  philological  consider- 
ations  alone  that  we  deem  this  view  of 
the  subject  sustained.  We  have  already 
adverted  to  the  fact  of  a  very  remark- 
able coincidence  between  the  religious 
rites  and  usages  of  the  Egyptians  and 
Israelites.  The  extent  to  which  these 
afiinities  exist,  as  shown  by  the  mon- 
umental sculptures  and  paintings  of 
Egypt,  can  be  but  imperfectly  appre- 
ciated by  those  who  are  not  somewhat 
conversant  with  the  works  containing 
the  fac-similes  of  these  w^onderful  re- 
mains. Nearly  every  ar-ticle  of  the  sa- 
cred  costume  prescribed  by  God  to  Mo- 
ses has  its  counterpart  in  the  pictured 
dresses  of  the  Egyptian  priests  ;  and  in 
regard  to  the  objects  now  under  consid- 
eration and  some  other  peculiarities  of 
the  Mosaic  system,  we  are  strongly 
inclined  to  the  opinion,  that  so  few 
particulars  are  given,  because  it  is  taken 
for  granted  that  they  were  sufficiently 
known  before.  Nahmanides  observes 
that  whenever  the  mention  of  any  of 
the  sacred  things  is  introduced  by  the 
use  of  the  definite  or  emphatic  article  {1 
h,  the,  it  implies  that  it  was  something 
previously  designated  or  known.  Thus 
it  is  ordered  in  general  terms,  '  they 
shall  make  an  ark,'  '  thou  shalt  make  a 
table,'  '  thou  shalt  make  a  candlestick,' 
&c.,  but  when  we  come  to  the  text  be- 
fore us  it  is  said,  '  thou  shalt  put  in  the 
breast-plate  of  judgment  the  Urim  and 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


I5d 


Thummim,'  as  something  which  would 
of  course  be  adequately  understood  from 
other  sources.  In  lilce  manner,  says 
he,  we  are  told,  in  Gen.  2.24,  that  'God 
placed  the  cherubims  (C^jT^SH  hak- 
kerubim)  at  the  east  of  the  garden 
of  Eden,'  as  something  too  well  known 
to  need  a  particular  description.  Now 
if  we  could  obtain  evidence  that  any 
similar  usage  prevailed  among  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  especially  in  the 
matter  of  delivering  oracles,  it  would 
obviously  go  far  to  countenance  the 
idea,  that  the  jewelled  appendage  to  the 
Pectoral  was  a  matter  with  which  both 
Moses  and  the  people  had  already  be- 
come familiar  in  the  land  of  their  bond- 
age. By  a  singular  fortuity  it  so  hap- 
pens, that  we  are  possessed  of  just  the 
evidence  that  we  want  in  relation  to 
this  point.  Not  only  do  the  Egyptian 
paintings  exhibit  the  pectoral  ornament 
answering  to  the  Jewish  hoshen  or 
breast-plate,  but  in  two  of  the  Greek 
historians,  viz.,  Diodorus  Siculus  and 
^lian  we  find  the  express  record  which 
Mr.  Wilkinson  has  embodied  in  the  fol- 
lowing passage  (Man.  and  Cust.  of  Anc. 
Egypt,  vol.  2.  p.  26.),  'When  a  case 
was  brought  for  trial,  it  was  customary 
for  the  arch-judge  to  put  a  golden  chain 
around  his  neck,  to  which  was  suspend- 
ed a  small  figure  of  Truth  or  orna- 
mented with  precious  stones.  This  was 
in  fact  a  representation  of  the  goddess 
who  was  worshipped  under  the  double 
character  of  t7-uth  and  justice,  and 
whose  name,  Thmei,  appears  to  have 
been  the  origin  of  the  Hebrew  thum- 
mim, a  word  according  to  the  Septua- 
gint  translation,  implying  truth,  and 
bearing  a  further  analogy  in  its  plural 
termination.  And  what  makes  it  more 
remarkabl*  is,  that  the  chief  priest  of 
the  Jews,  who,  before  the  election  of  a 
king,  was  also  the  judge  of  the  nation, 
was  alone  entitled  to  wear  this  honorary 
badge ;  and  the  thummim  of  the  He- 
brews, like  the  Egyptian  figure,  was 
studded  with  precious  stones.'    It  is 


moreover  affirmed  by  the  traveller  Pe- 
ter du  Val  that  he  saw  a  mummy  at 
Cairo,  round  the  neck  of  which  was  a 
chain  having  a  golden  plate  suspended 
from  it,  which  lay  on  the  breast  of  the 
person,  and  on  which  was  engraved  the 
figure  of  a  bird.  This  person  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  one  of  the  supreme 
judges ;  and  in  all  likelihood  the  bird 
was  the  emblem  of  truth,  justice,  or  in- 
nocence. 

This  is  certainly  a  remarkable  set  of 
coincidences,  and  the  force  of  it  in  the 
argument  is  not  to  be  weakened  by  the 
intimation,  that  this  official  badge  was 
worn  by  civil  magistrates  among  the 
Egyptians.  The  truth  is,  the  religion 
of  that  people  was  so  interwoven  with 
their  laws  and  government  that  their 
kings  were  of  the  sacerdotal  order,  and 
the  judicial  functions  were  exercised 
by  the  priests.  As  in  nearly  all  the 
governments  of  that  early  period  of  the 
world,  so  among  the  Egyptians,  the 
people  were  taught  to  regard  their  rulers 
as  clothed  with  divine  authority,  as 
the  immediate  delegates  and  viceger- 
ents of  the  gods  ;  and  especially  in  the 
administration  of  justice,  it  was  their 
object  to  beget  the  universal  belief  that 
their  decisions  were  in  fact  divine  orC'^ 
cles.  As  scarcely  any  thing  of  moment 
in  private  life  was  undertaken  without 
consulting  oracles,  so  especially  was 
this  the  case  in  matters  of  government 
It  was  of  the  highest  impartance  that 
the  impression  should  prevail  that  it 
was  done  with  the  concurrence  of  the 
gods. 

Now  that  precious  stones  were  in- 
strumentally  employed  in  this  kind  of 
divination  which  had  respect  to  the  ad- 
ministration  of  justice,  or  the  delivery 
of  judicial  oracles,  is  very  largely  and 
lucidly  proved  by  Daubuz  in  his  in- 
valuable '  Commentary  on  the  Apoca- 
lypse,' ch.  21,  when  treating  of  the 
twelve  foundations  of  precious  stones 
of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem.  By  a  learn- 
ed array  of  citations  from  ancient  au- 


160 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


thors  he  shows  thai  a  peculiar  mystic 
virtue  was  attributed  to  gems  as  amu- 
lets and  charms,  and  as  a  medium  of 
converse  in  general  with  demoi.s  and 
spirits  of  the  invisible  world.  Thus 
Pliny  says  that  the  jasper  was  worn 
every  where  over  the  East  for  amulets  j 
and  of  the  amethyst  he  remarks,  that 
according  to  popular  belief  if  the  name 
of  the  sun  and  moon  be  written  on  this 
kind  of  stones,  and  they  be  suspended 
from  the  neck  by  tlie  feathers  of  cer- 
tain birds,  they  will  resist  the  eflfect  of 
poison,  and  avert  liail,  locusts,  &c,; 
and  the  same  virtue  he  ascribes  to 
emeralds  provided  they  have  the  figure 
of  an  eagle  or  scarabseus  inscribed  upon 
them.  We  may  agree  with  him  in  the 
remark  that  such  things  cannot  well  be 
written  without  exciting  the  contempt 
and  derision  of  the  human  race ;  but 
however  vain  were  such  notions,  it  is 
clear  that  they  influenced  the  practice 
of  the  ancients  ;  and  they  enable  us  bet- 
ter to  understand  the  reason  and  origin 
of  their  sacred  symbolical  use.  Epiph- 
anius  also,  iji  speaking  of  the  gems  on 
the  High  Priest's  Breast-plate,  takes 
notice  of  the  virtues  assigned  to  tliem 
by  the  magicians.  Of  the  emerald  he 
says  it  is  accounted  to  possess  a  prog- 
nosticating power;  of  the  jasper,  that 
it  drives  away  spectres  and  delusions 
v/hich  were  attributed  to  demons  ;  and 
the  same  of  the  ligure  and  hyacinth. 
As  therefore  these  magical  and  mys- 
tical notions  respecting  the  virtues  of 
gems  did  beyond  question  prevail  among 
the  ancient  pagans,  especially  the  Egyp- 
tians and  the  Chaldeans  ;  as  they  were 
undoubtedly  employed  in  ihe'ir  judicial 
and  oracular  transactions,  we  cannot 
but  deem  it  aTtogether  probable  that 
there  was  a  certain  degree  of  assimi- 
lation, or  latent  inter-relation,  between 
the  Hebrew  Breast-plate  with  its  Urim 
and  Thummim,  and  the  jewelled  collar 
or  pectoral  of  the  Egyptian  judge.  But 
although  thus  related  in  general  as  a 
medium  of  oracular  revelation,  yet  they 


would  of  course  dilTer  according  to  the 
different  scope  and  genius  of  their  re- 
spective institutions.  While  with  the 
Egyptians  these  sacred  instruments 
were  subservient  to  the  grossest  super- 
stition,  to  magic,  and  idolatry,  with  the 
Hebrews  they  were  instituted  for  a  pur- 
pose directly  the  reverse.  They  were 
designed  to  call  them  away  from  the 
practice  of  all  unhallowed  divinations 
and  auguries,  and  fix  their  dependence 
upon  the  true  God.  That  people  were 
indeed  permitted  to  avail  themselves  of 
an  oracle  on  great  emergencies ;  but 
that  oracle  was  divine.  It  was  the  true 
God,  Jehovah,  omniscient,  omnipotent, 
and  infallible.  And  though  he  was 
pleased,  in  accommodation  to  their 
mental  condition  and  capacities  to  re- 
tain and  incorporate  into  his  ritual  cer- 
tain usages,  to  which  they  had  been 
familiar  in  other  connexions,  yet  they 
were  henceforth  hallowed  usages,  and 
never  to  be  associated  with  any  idol- 
atrous sentiments  or  aims.  The  use  of 
precious  stones  by  those  that  minister- 
ed at  heathen  temples  was  nothing  but 
deceit,  delusion,  and  fraud.  They  v/ere 
instrumental  in  uttering  oracles  which 
were  enigmatical,  ambiguous,  and  false. 
In  God's  Avorship  they  were  Urim  and 
Thummim,  clearness  and  certainty, 
light  and  perfection,  lacking  nothing 
in  explicitness  of  enunciation,  nothing 
in  truth  of  accomplishment.  *  To  show 
how  all  this  is  suitable,'  says  Daubuz, 
'  to  the  principles  of  the  symbolical 
language,  by  which  alone  the  true  no- 
tion and  full  force  of  the  word  Urim  is 
to  be  understood,  we  need  only  to  re- 
member that  God  was  the  king  and 
ruler  of  Israel,  and  that  his  oracles 
were  the  special  orders  and  commands 
which  he  gave  to  that  people  to  govern 
and  guide  them.  Now  all  kind  of  gov- 
ernment, according  to  the  style  of  those 
ages,  which  were  acquainted  with  sym- 
bolical notions,  was  represented  by 
light ;  because  the  lights  or  luminaries 
direct  and  show  the  way,  and  by  con- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


161 


sequence  govern  men,  who  otherwise 
should  not  know  what  to  do  or  whither 
to  go.  The  word  thummim  joined  to  the 
urim,  and  showing  this  light  to  be  true 
and  perfect,  implied  that  whatsoever 
God  should  by  the  urim  foretel,  would 
certainly  come  to  pass.  So  that  when 
God  gave  his  urim,  or  lights  of  direc- 
tion,  to  the  Israelites,  it  was  in  order 
to  bring  to  perfection  all  those  counsels 
which  he  then  discovered  to  them.  It 
was  upon  this  account  that  Christ  is 
called,  John,  8.  12,  '  the  light  of  the 
world,'  and  also,  John,  14.  6,  '  the  u-ay, 
the  truth,  and  the  life.'  For  these  titles 
signify  his  dominion  and  power  to  rule 
all  the  world  ;  and  he  is  the  Urim  and 
Thummim,  the  disposer  of  the  oracles 
of  God  to  guide  and  rule  men,  and  to 
bring  to  perfection  all  the  mystery 
of  God,  which  is  to  bring  men  to  eter- 
nal life.  Hence  in  the  New  .Jeru- 
salem, wherein  that  mystery  is  per- 
fected, he  is  with  the  Father  the  Lumin- 
ary thereof.  So  that  this  New  Jerusa- 
lem being  founded  or  begun  upon  the 
oracles  and  light  of  the  apostles  of 
Jesus  Christ,  shall  be  completed  by  hav- 
ing therein  the  great  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim, which  gives  light  to  all  that  are 
therein.'  This  New  Jerusalem  state, 
therefore,  is  one  in  which  all  the  will, 
counsel,  and  promises  of  God  from  the 
beginning  of  the  world  are  to  be  per- 
fected. It  is  in  that  glorious  state  that 
their  accomplishment  is  to  result ;  but 
more  especially  those  which  have  been 
made  from  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel 
iispensation  by  the  apostles  of  the 
x^amb,  who  laid  the  first  foundation  of  an 
universal  church,  and  have  consequently 
their  names  written  on  the  symbols  of 
that  foundation. 

We  have  enlarged  thus  fully  in  the 
preceding  train  of  remark  on  the  origin 
and  primitive  notions  of  the  Urim  and 
Thummim,  not  only  on  account  of  its 
intrinsic  importance,  but  also  in  order 
to  gain  still  stronger  confirmation  of  the 
view  advanced  above  in  relation  to  their 
14' 


identity  with  the  precious  stones  and 
their  true  position  in  the  Breast-plate. 
From  an  attentive  consideration  of  the 
whole,  we  cannot  but  deem  the  infer- 
ence very  fair,  that  the  gems,  though 
perhaps  permanently  attached  to  the 
Pectoral,  were  yet  placed  in  the  inside 
of  its  folds  when  doubled,  and  thus  in  a 
still  more  emphatic  sense  borne  '  upon 
the  heart'  of  the  High  Priest.  Yet  as 
we  cannot  claim  an  entire  certainty  for 
this  explanation  we  have  represented 
the  Breast-plate  in  the  preceding  cut  as 
having  the  form  and  appearance  usually 
ascribed  to  it.  The  matter  is  left  to  the 
enlightened  judgment  of  the  reader. 

II.  We  have  now  to  devote  a  few 
sentences  to  the  discussion  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  responses  were  given  to 
the  consultations  made  by  the  High 
Priest  through  the  medium  of  the  Urim 
and  Thummim.  And  here  the  cloud, 
in  which  a  remote  antiquity  has  in- 
veloped  the  question,  is  made  still 
denser  by  the  mists  of  conflicting  con- 
jectures. Among  the  Rabbinical  writers 
there  is  a  pretty  general  agreement  as 
to  the  occasions  on  which  those  consult- 
ations were  resorted  to,  viz.,  that  they 
were  of  a  public  and  not  of  a  private 
nature.  As  the  High  Priest  appeared 
before  God  in  such  cases  with  the  names 
of  all  the  twelve  tribes  on  his  Breast- 
plate, so  they  suppose  that  the  counsel 
sought  must  be  sought  in  the  name  and 
on  the  behalf  of  all  the  tribes,  as  hav- 
ing relation  to  interests  which  concern- 
ed them  all ;  as  for  instance  matters  of 
peace  and  war,  the  election  of  rulers, 
the  duties  of  the  king  on  special  emer- 
gencies, &c.  But  as  to  the  precise  mode 
of  the  responses,  their  diversities  of 
opinion  show  that  they  were  as  little 
furnished  with  a  clue  to  it  as  ourselves. 
The  prevalent  belief  seems  to  have 
been,  that  the  letters  engraved  on  the 
precious  stones  were  eflTected  in  some 
extraordinary  manner,  so  that  the  dim- 
ness or  lustre,  depression  or  elevation, 
of  the  successive  letters  composing  the 


162 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


31  If  And  rthou  shalt  make  the 
robe  of  the  ephod  all  of  blue. 

r  ch.  39. 


22. 


answer  enabled  the  High  Priest  to  read 
the  response  in,  or  reflected  from,  his 
Breast-plate.  But  this  in  most  cases 
would  have  been  impossible,  as  the 
names  of  the  twelve  sons  of  Jacob  do 
not  contain  all  the  letters  of  the  He- 
brew alphabet,  nor  can  we  conceive 
how  the  letters  should  have  been  raised 
or  illuminated  in  such  order  as  to  con- 
vey an  intelligible  answer.  A  far  more 
probable  opinion  is,  that  the  Urim  and 
Thummim  were  merely  a  requisite  cir- 
cumstance in  the  consultation  ;  that  they 
simiply put  the  High  Priest  into  a  con- 
dition to  receive  responses,  and  that 
these  responses  when  duly  sought  were 
given  in  an  audible  voice  from  between 
the  Cherubim.  This  seems  supported  by 
the  fact,  that  this  method  of  obtaining 
the  divine  response  is  described  as  '  ask- 
ing at  the  mouth  of  the  Lord.'  '  What- 
ever was  the  precise  medium  through 
which  the  response  was  conveyed,  the 
mode  in  which  the  priest  acted  is 
sufficiently  plain.  When  any  national 
emergency  arose  for  which  the  law  had 
made  no  provision,  the  High  Priest  ar- 
rayed himself  in  his  Breast-plate  and 
pontifical  vestments,  and  went  into  the 
holy  place,  and  standing  close  before 
the  vail,  but  not  entering  within  it, 
stated  the  question  or  difficulty,  and  re^ 
ceived  an  answer.  Several  instances 
will  occur  of  this  manner  of  consulting 
the  Lord.  It  is  an  opinion  which  has 
at  least  the  tacit  sanction  of  Scripture, 
that  the  mode  of  consulting  the  Lord  by 
Urim  and  Thummim  only  subsisted  un- 
der the  theocracy,  and  while  the  Taber- 
nacle still  remained.  Spencer  strongly 
urges  that  the  Urim  and  Thummim 
were  essentially  connected  with  the 
theocratic  government  of  the  Hebrews. 
While  the  Lord  was  their  immediate 
governor  and  king,  it  was  necessary 
that  they  should  be  enabled  to  consult 


32  And  there  shall  be  an  hole  in 
the  top  of  it,  in  the  midst  thereof: 
it  shall  have  a  binding  of  woven 


him  on  important  matters,  and  obtain 
his  directions  on  occasions  of  difficulty. 
This  method  was  also  established  for 
the  purpose  of  consulting  God  in  mat- 
ters that  concerned  the  common  interest 
of  the  entire  nation.  On  both  these 
grounds  the  oracle  might  well  cease 
when  the  theocracy  terminated  by  the 
kingdom  becoming  hereditary  in  the 
person  and  family  of  Solomon ;  and 
still  more,  when  the  division  of  the  na- 
tion into  two  kingdoms  at  his  death 
rendered  the  interests  of  the  nation  no 
longer  common.  This  is  but  an  hy- 
pothesis :  but  it  is  certain  that  there 
are  no  traces  in  the  sacred  books  of 
consulting  the  Lord  by  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim from  the  time  of  the  erection  to 
the  demolition  of  Solomon's  Temple : 
and  that  it  did  not  afterwards  exist  is 
on  all  hands  allowed.'    Pict.  Bible. 

THE    ROBE    OF   THE   EPHOD. 

31,  32.  Thou  shalt  make  the  robe  of 
the  ephod,  &c.  This  is  a  garment  dis- 
tinct from,  any  that  has  yet  been  men- 
tioned. It  is  called  the  '  robe  of  the 
ephod,'  simply  because  it  was  worn  im- 
mediately under  it.  Its  Hebrew  name  is 
p'^5'^  me'il,  rendered  in  the  Gr.  vnnSurriu 
noSripr]^  an  under-garment  reaching 
down  to  the  feet.  Vulg.  'Tunic  of  the 
Ephod.'  Arab.  'A  rain-shedding  cloak.' 
Luth.  'A  silk  robe.'  Belg.  'A  mantle.' 
Jun.  and  Trem.  '  Pallium,  a  cloak.'' 
The  me'il  was  a  distinguishing  priestly 
vestment,  and  therefore  Christ  appears, 
Rev.  1.  13,  'clothed  with  a  garment 
down  to  the  feet  {m^npv),''  to  show  him- 
self the  Great  High  Priest  of  the  church. 
It  was  a  long  linen  gown  of  sky  blue 
color,  reaching  to  the  middle  of  the  leg. 
It  was  all  of  one  piece,  and  so  formed 
as  to  be  put  on,  not  like  other  garments 
which  are  open  in  front,  but  like  a  sur- 
plice, over  the  head,  having  a  hole  at 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIIl. 


153 


work  round  aboul  the  hole  of  it,  as  33  H  And  beneath,  upon  the  hem 
it  were  the  hole  of  an  habergeon,  of  it  thou  shalt  make  pomegranates 
that  it  be  not  rent.  q/'blue,  and  o/ purple,  and  o/scar- 


the  top  for  the  head  to  pass  through, 
which  was  strongly  hemmed  round  wilh 
a  binding  or  welt  to  prevent  it  from 
rending,  and  wilh  openings  or  arm-holes 
ni  the  sides  in  place  of  sleeves.  Round 
its  lower  border  were  tassels  made  cf 
blue,  purple,  and  scarlet,  in  the  form  of 
pomegranates,  interspersed  with  small 
gold  bells,  in  order  to  make  a  noise 
when  the  High  Priest  went  into  or  came 
out  from  the  holy  place,  the  reason  of 
which  is  given  below.     We  are  not  in- 


formed of  the  exact  number  of  the  pome- 
granates and  bells.  The  Rabbinical 
writers  are  mostly  unanimous  in  say- 
ing, there  were  72  in  all,  which  is 
doubtless  as  probable  as  any  other  con- 
jecture on  the  subject.  It  will  be  ob- 
served, that  while  the  body  of  the  Robe 
was  entirely  of  blue,  this  ornamental 
appendage  in  the  skirts  was  richly 
dyed  of  variegated  hues,  and  must  have 
rendered  the  whole  a  vestment  of  ex- 
quisite beauty. 


The  Robe  of  the  Ephod. 


33.  Thou  shalt  make  pomegranates. 
*^1  rimmon.  The  term  ^pomegranate^ 
is  compounded  of  poma,  apple,  and  gra- 
nata,  grained,  from  its  resemblance, 
when  opened,  to  an  apple  full  of  grain. 
It  grows  wild  in  Palestine,  and  in  other 
parts  of  Syria,  as  well  as  in  Persia, 
Arabia,  Egypt,  and  the  southern  parts 
of  Europe,  and  in  some  portions  of  our 
own  country.  The  fruit  is  the  size  of 
an  orange,  flattened  at  the  end  like  an 
apple  ;  and  when  cultivated  is  of  a  beau- 
tiful color  and  highly  grateful  flavor. 
The  rind  is  at  first  green  ;  but  in  August 


and  September  when  the  fruit  is  ripe, 
it  assumes  a  brownish-red  color,  be- 
comes thick  and  hard,  yet  easily  brok- 
en. The  inside  of  the  pomegranate  is 
of  a  bright  pink,  with  skinny  partitions 
like  those  of  i.he  orange,  filled  with  a 
subacid  juice  and  a  great  multitude 
of  white  and  purplish  red  seeds.  The 
flower,  which  is  of  a  scarlet  color, 
is  peculiarly  beautiful,  and  it  is  prob- 
ably to  the  flower  that  allusion  is  had, 
Cant.  4.  3,  where  the  royal  bridegroom 
compares  the  cheeks  of  his  bride  to  a 
'  piece  of  pomegranate,'  though  others 


164 


EXODUS. 


[B.C.  1491. 


understand  by  this  a  section  of  the  fruit  1  an  idea  of  the  form  of  the  fruit  and 
itself,  the  cheeks  being  called  in  the  flower  of  this  plant,  both  which  are 
Talniudic  language,  the  pome g7-anat es  \dimong  the  most  striking  objects  of  the 
of  the  face.     The  annexed  cut  will  give  !  vegetable  world. 


The  Pomegranate. 


The  Pomegranate  abounds  more  par- 
ticularly in  Syria  and  the  ancient  As- 
syria, where  it  was  held  sacred  and  en- 
.  tered  into  the  symbols  of  the  heathen 
worship,  as  is  plainly  to  be  inferred 
from  its  giving  name  to  an  idolatrous 
temple,  2  Kings,  5.  18,  called  'the 
house  of  Rimmon,'  i.  e.  the  Pomegran- 
ate. In  Persia  the  heads  of  sceptres 
and  honorary  staves  were  formed  in  the 
shape  of  a  Pomegranate.  It  was  also 
held  sacred  in  Egypt ;  and  in  all  coun- 
tries where  it  was  not  to  be  found,  the 
poppy,  which  also  abounds  in  seeds, 
was  chosen  in  its  stead.  Both  were  de- 
dicated by  the  pagans  to  the  generative 
powers,  their  numerous  seeds  render- 
ing them  an  apt  emblem  of  prolific 
properties.  Hence  at  marriages  the 
bride  was  crowned  with  a  chaplet  in 
which  were  inserted  the  flowers  of 
pomegranates  and  poppies  as  an  omen 
ai  fruit  fulness.  As  then  the  idea  of 
fruitful  increase  is  prominent  among 
the  symbolical  notions  attached  to  this 
plant  and  its  fruit,  there  is  perhaps 
ample  ground  for  the  suggestion,  that 
this  singular  appurtenance  to  the  High 
Priest's  dress,  in  conjunction  with  the 
bells,  was  designed  to  intimate  that  the 


sound  of  the  gospel  should  not  be  in 
vain  ;  that  wherever  the  sound  of  the 
doctrine  of  Christ  and  the  apostles 
should  come,  then  it  should  bear  fruit, 
or  that  churches  should  be  gathered 
bringing  forth  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness ;  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
should  be  the  means  of  begetting  a 
spiritual  progeny  zealous  o{ good  works. 
The  remarks  of  Prof.  Edwards  are  too 
pertinent  to  this  point  not  to  be  cited 
in  the  present  connexion.  'The  golden 
bells  on  the  Ephod,  by  their  precious 
matter  and  pleasant  sound  do  well  rep- 
resent the  good  profession  that  the 
saints  make ;  and  the  pomegranates 
the  fruit  they  bring  forth.  And  as  in 
the  hem  of  the  (robe  of  the)  Ephod, 
bells  and  pomegranates  were  constantly 
connected,  as  is  once  and  again  observ- 
ed,— '  a  golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate, 
a  golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate' — so 
it  is  in  the  true  saints.  Their  good  pro- 
fession, and  their  good  fruit,  do  con- 
stantly accompany  one  another.  The 
fruit  they  bring  in  life  answers  the 
pleasant    sound    of  their    profession.' 

Treat,  on  Affect,  Part  III.  p.  395. 

IT  Of  blue,  purple,  scarlet,  &c.  Al- 
though the  body  of  this  garment  was  of 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


\6t 


let,  round  about  the  hem  thereof; 
and  bells  of  gold  between  them 
round  about : 

34  A  golden  bell  and  a  pomegran- 
ate, a  golden  bell  and  a  pomegran- 
ate, upon  the  hem  of  the  robe 
round  about. 

35  And  it  shall  be  upon  Aaron,  to 
minister:  and  Jiis  sound  shall  be 

one  uniform  color,  a  beautiful  blue, 
yet  the  skirts  were  ornamented  with 
this  parti-colored  fringe- work,  wrought 
somewhat  like  the  silken  balls,  or  ball- 
tassels,  of  modern  upholstery,  into  the 

shape  of  the  fruit  here  mentioned. 

IT  Bells  of  gold.  Of  the  suggesting  origin 
of  this  part  of  the  dress  of  the  High  Priest 
it  is  difficult  to  give  any  account.  That 
bells  were  not  unknown  in  the  costume 
of  the  East  is  evident  from  the  Tar- 
gum  on  Est.  6. 10,  where  Ahasuerus  says 
to  Haman  *  Go  to  my  wardrobe,  and 
take  one  of  my  best  purple  cloaks,  and 
of  the  best  silk  vests,  with  gems  at  the 
four  corners  of  it,  and  golden  bells  and 
pomegranates  hanging  round  about.' 
Michaelis  conjectures  that  the  Oriental 
kings  of  that  period  were  accustomed 
to  wear  little  bells  upon  some  part  of 
their  robes  in  order  to  give  notice  that 
that  they  ^yere  near  by,  and  that  the 
people  might  retire.  Hence  perhaps 
the  use  of  bells  as  a  symbol  of  the  rev- 
erence  due  to  holy  places.  This  idea 
is  favored  by  the  strong  language,  v. 
35,  where  the  punishment  of  death  is 
threatened  upon  the  neglect  of  this  cere- 
mony ;  which  would  seem  to  imply  that 
as  in  the  etiquette  of  an  Eastern  court, 
no  one  would  rush  rudely,  or  without 
some  kind  of  annunciation,  into  the 
presence  of  the  sovereign,  so  the  High 
Priest  was  not  to  be  guilty  of  the  irrev- 
erence  of  approaching  the  Oracle  with- 
out some  kiad  of  signal  of  his  coming. 
Another  use  of  this  appendage  of  the 
mantle,  as  inferred  from  Ecclus.  45, 
7  9,  was,  that  the  people  collected  in 
I  he  court  around  the  sanctuary  might 


heard  when  he  goeth  in  unto  the 
holy  place  before  the  Lord,  and 
when  he  cometh  out,  that  he  die 
not. 
36  ^  And  t  thou  shalt  make  a 
plate  of  pure  gold,  and  grave  upon 
it  like  the  engravings  of  a  signet, 
HOLmESS  TO  THE  LORD. 

t  oil.  39.  30.  Zech.  14.  20. 


be  admonished  of  the  High  Priest's  en- 
trance into  the  Holy  Place,  and  so 
unite  their  prayers  with  his  incense 
offering,  ^An  everlasting  covenant  he 
made  with  him  (Aaron),  and  gave  him 
the  priesthood  among  the  people ;  he 
beautified  him  with  comely  ornaments, 
and  clothed  him  with  a  robe  of  glory. 
He  put  upon  him  perfect  glory;  and 
strengthened  him  with  rich  garments, 
with  breeches,  with  a  long  robe,  and 
the  ephod.  And  he  compassed  him  with 
pomegranates,  and  with  many  golden 
bells  round  about,  that  as  he  went  there 
might  be  a  sound,  and  a  noise  made 
that  might  be  heard  in  the  temple,  for 
a  memorial  to  the  children  of  his  peo- 
ple.' If  this  be  well  founded,  and  the 
sound  of  the  bells  had  principal  refer- 
ence to  the  people,  to  remind  them  of 
the  proper  spirit  and  deportment  to  be 
observed  on  the  occasion,  then  it  may 
be  suggested  that  the  phrase,  '  that  he 
die  not,'  is  perhaps  to  be  understood 
not  of  Aaron,  but  to  be  rendered  imper- 
sonally, '  that  one  die  not,'  '  that  there 
be  no  dying,'  i.  e.  that  no  one  may  pre- 
sumptuously lay  aside  the  becoming 
reverence  and  thus  expose  himself  to 
death.  The  original  will  no  doubt  ad- 
mit of  this  construction,  but  whether  it 
be  the  true  one,  we  are  not  prepared  to 
decide. 

THE   GOLDEN   PLATE   AND  MITRE. 

36.  Thou  shalt  make  a  plate  of  pure 
gold,  &c.  Heb.  yi^Z  tzitz.  Gr.  wraAo*', 
petal,  leaf.  Vulg.  *  Lamina,'  plate, 
Arab.  'Fillet.'  Luth.  'Forehead-plate.' 
The  original  word    y^^J  tzitz,  from 


166 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


f'yS  tzutz,  to  Jlourish,  is  generally 
understood  to  signify  a  flower,  and  the 
Greek  rendering  petal  would  seem  to 
be  founded  upon  this  sense,  implying 
either  that  the  plate  was  itself  of  the 
form  of  a  flower,  or  was  curiously 
wrought  with  flower-work.  Such  also 
was  plainly  the  opinion  of  Josephus, 
who  gives  a  minute  description  of  the 
particular  kind  of  flower  or  calyx  which 
was  figured  upon  the  plate.  Rosenmul- 
ler,  however,  contends  that  this  render- 
ing in  this  place  is  founded  upon  a  false 
interpretation  of  y^2Z,  which  does  not, 
he  says,  legitimately  signify  a  flower, 
nor  has  it  any  relation  to  flowers  or 
flower-work,  but  properly  denotes  some- 
thing glistening,  radiant,  effulgent,  and 
is  here  applied  to  the  plate  on  the  Mitre, 
from  the  flashing  splendors  which  beam- 
ed from  it.  But  the  ideas  of  flourish- 
ing and  of  emitting  splendor  are  some- 
what closely  related  in  all  languages, 
as  nothing  is  more  common  with  us  for 
instance  than  to  speak  of  the  brightness 
or  splendid  hues  of  flowers,  and  from 
the  usus  loquendi  of  the  term  it  cannot 
at  all  be  questioned  that  the  dominant 
sense  of  "^i^Z  is  that  o{  flowers  or  flow- 
ering plants.  Yet  it  is  very  possible 
that  the  two  ideas  of  efflorescence  and 
shining  may  be  combined  in  this  pas- 
sage, especially  if  we  suppose,  as  we 
think  was  undoubtedly  the  case,  that 
some  kind  of  floral  ornament  was 
wrought  upon  the  glistening  gold  plate 
of  the  Mitre.  In  describing  the  exe- 
cution of  this  order,  Ex.  39.  30,  it  is 
said,  *  they  made  the  plate  of  the  holy 
crown  (laipn  "ITD  y^'S  tzitz  n'czer 
hakkodesh)  of  pure  gold,'  &c.,  where 
^T2  nizer  comes  from  a  verb  signify- 
ing to  separate,  and  hence  denoting  a 
crown  as  a  mark  of  separation  or  dis- 
tinction. So  also  the  original  word  for 
mitre  occurs  Job,  29.  14,  where  it  is 
rendered  '  diadem,'  leading  us  to  the 
inference  that  the  sacerdotal  mitre  is 
closely  allied  with  the  kingly  crown. 
Thus  loo  Lev.  8.  9,  '  and  he  put  the 


mitre  upon  his  head ;  also  upon  the 
mitre,  even  upon  his  fore-front,  did  he 
put  the  golden  plate,  the  holy  crown; 
as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses.'  In 
like  manner  we  find  it  said  Ps.  132,  18, 
'  upon  himself  shall  his  crown  flourish 
(l^TD  y^'2'^  yatzitz  nizro).'  Here  it 
is  difficult  to  account  for  the  idea  of  a 
crown's  flourishing,  except  upon  the 
suppostion  of  some  kind  of  floral  ap- 
pendages being  connected  with  it  in 
the  mind  of  the  writer ;  and  this  might 
have  arisen  from  the  fact,  that  the 
earliest  crown  was  merely  a  chaplet, 
garland,  or  wreath  bound  around  the 
head ;  or  from  the  beautiful  wrought 
flower-work  on  the  priestly  Mitre  of 
Aaron.  But  whatever  uncertainty  may 
otherwise  envelope  the  subject,  this  is 
clear  beyond  question,  that  the  Plate 
was  the  principal  part  of  the  Mitre,  and 
that  the  badges  of  the  priestly  are 
closely  interwoven  with  those  of  the 
kingly  dignity  in  the  appointed  vesture 
of  the  Jewish  pontiff.  For  this  fact  a 
twofold  reason  may  be  assigned.  In 
the  first  place,  the  entire  nation  of  Is- 
rael was  in  a  sense  concentrated  in  the 
person  of  the  High  Priest,  their  head 
and  representative.  It  was  the  high 
prerogative  of  this  favored  people  to  be 
chosen  as  a  *  royal  priesthood,'  a  '  king- 
dom of  priests,'  and  the  unity  of  the 
nation,  in  this  exalted  character,  was 
made  visible  in  the  person  of  him  who 
was  ordained  as  their  supreme  dignita- 
ry. Nothing  therefore  would  be  more 
natural  or  appropriate  than  that  cor 
responding  symbols  or  badges  of  this 
twofold  distinction  should  appear  on 
the  head-dress  of  the  High  Priest,  as 
we  here  learn  to  have  been  the  fact. 
Indeed  the  Jewish  tradition  amplifies 
this  idea  somewhat,  and  affirms  a  three' 
fold  dignity  of  their  race,  which  they 
say  was  indicated  by  a  triplet  of  crowns, 
viz.,  the  crown  of  the  priesthood,  the 
crown  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  crown 
of  the  law. — Secondly,  this  conjunction 
of  sacerdotal  and  royal  symbols  in  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


167 


37  And  thou  shalt  put  it  on  a  blue  I  tre;  upon  the  fore-front  of  the  mi- 
lace,  that  it  may  be  upon  the  mi-    tre  it  shall  be. 


Mitre  was  intended  to  serve  as  a  typ-  i  was  to  sit  as  '  a  prtM^  upon  his  throne,^ 
ical  intimation  of  the  union  of  these  j  being  made  a  priest  after  the  order  of 
two  ofRces  in  the  person  of  Christ,  wlio  i  Mclchizedek,  king  of  righteousness.  • 


The  Golden  Plate  of  the  Mitre. 


^  Like  the  engravings  of  a  signet. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Jewish  writers 
are  correct  in  supposing:  that  the  letters 
were  not  cut  or  grooved  into  the  plate, 
but  were  rather  embossed  or  made  to 
stand  in  relief  upon  it.  The  precise 
manner  in  which  this  was  done,  cannot 
at  present  be  determined,  but  Maimon- 
ides  says  that  in  working  the  inscrip- 
tion, the  instruments  were  applied  to 
the  inside  and  not  to  the  outside  of  the 
plates,  so  as  to  make  the  letters  stand 

out. IT  Holiness    to    the    Lord. 

Heb.  mn^^  IDlp  kodesh  la-Yehovah, 
holiness  to  Jehovah,  or  the  holiness  of 
Jehovah,  according  to  the  Gr.  which  has 
aytaffya  Kvpiov,  the  holiness,  or  sanctifi' 
cation,  of  the  Lord.  This  was  perhaps 
the  most  conspicuous  object  of  the  High 
Priest's  dress,  and  was  in  fact  a  signif- 
icant memento  of  the  character  of  the 
entire  service  in  which  he  sustained  so 
prominent  a  part.  By  this  inscription 
the  wearer  became  '  as  a  city  set  on  a 
hill,  which  cannot  be  hid ;'  the  bright 
memorial  incessantly,  though  silently, 
proclaiming  to  the  eye,  to  the  heart,  to 


the  conscience,  'a  holy  God,  a  holy  ser- 
rice,  a  holy  minister,  a  holy  people,  and 
a  holy  covenant.'  The  children  of  Is- 
rael could  not  look  upon  it  without 
being  reminded  of  the  great  principle 
which  Jehovah  would  have  to  pervade 
all  his  worship,  and  which  is  else- 
where so  solemnly  announced,  'I  will 
be  sanctified  in  all  them  that  draw 
nigh  unto  me.'  And  to  the  saints  in 
all  ages  it  should  serve  as  a  remem- 
brancer of  the  equivalent  intimation, 
that  as  *  he  which  hath"  called  us  is 
holy,  so  are  we  to  be  holy  in  all  man- 
ner of  conversation.' 

37.  And  thou  shalt  put  it  on  a  blue 
lace.  An  idiomatic  expression  for  '  put 
upon  it.'  It  was  to  hang  by  a  ribbon 
of  blue  upon  the  Mitre,  as  is  intimated 
in  the  words  following,  and  as  rep- 
resented in  the  cut.  The  Talmudists 
however  saj',  there  were  three  ribbons, 
one  at  each  ear,  and  one  in  the  middle, 
passing  over  the  head.  We  have  ac- 
cordingly so  represented  it  on  the 
smaller  figure  in  the  cut,  as  there  is  no 
inconsistency  in  supposing  it  to  have 


168 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


38  Aiid  it  shall  be  upon  Aaron's 
forehead,  that  Aaron  may  "bear 

u  ver.  43.  Lev.  10.  17.  &  22.  9.  Numb.  18. 
).  Isai.  53.  11.  Ezek.  4.  4,  5,  6.  John  1.  29. 
Ilebr.  9.  28.  1  Pet.  2.  24. 

been  the  case. IT  That  it  may  be 

upon  the  mitre.  Heb.  n5DiZ?2  mitzne- 
pheth,  from  C]D2I  tzanaph,  to  wrap,  to 
enwrap,  to  roll  round.  The  term  ap- 
plies  itself  at  once  to  the  style  of  head- 
dress common  among  the  Arabs,  Turks, 
Persians,  and  other  Oriental  nations, 
called  the  turban,  and  formed  of  a  num- 
ber of  swathes  or  foldings  of  cloth.  As 
nothing  is  said  of  the  precise  form  of 
the  High  Priest's  Mitre,  we  are  doubt- 
less at  liberty  to  suppose  it  justly  rep- 
resented in  the  main  by  an  eastern  tur- 
ban, though  perhaps  of  more  than  usual 
amplitude.  By  the  ancient  Greeks  this 
kind  of  covering  for  the  head  was  called 
tiara,  and  cidaris,  and  sometimes  dia- 
dema;  and  that  it  was  not  unusual  to 
have  it  made  of  fine  linen,  as  in  the 
present  case,  is  clear  from  the  fact  that 
Justin  relates  of  Alexander  the  Great, 


the  iniquity  of  the  holy  things, 
which  the  children  of  Israel  shall 
hallow  in  all  their  holy  gifts;  and 
it  shall  be  always  upon  his  fore- 


that  he  took  the  diadem  from  his  head 
to  bind  up  the  wounds  of  Lysimachus. 
From  these  titles  we  perceive  new 
evidence  that  the  priestly  Mitre  car- 
ried at  the  same  time  a  kingly  import ; 
and  it  is  even  supposed  that  the  in- 
veterate predilection  of  the  Orientals 
for  the  turban  arises  from  the  belief 
of  some  mystic  virtue  emblematic  of 
sovereignty  still  clinging  to  it.  The 
Mitre  of  Aaron  merely  covered  the 
crown  and  upper  part  of  the  head  with- 
out descending  low  upon  the  forehead, 
which  was  left  bare  for  the  golden  Plate 
to  lie  upon  it  below  the  edge  of  the 
Mitre.  In  this  respect  the  Mitre  of  the 
High  Priest  differed  from  the  bonnets 
of  the  common  priests,  which  having 
no  plate  sunk  lower  on  the  forehead.  In 
other  points  the  general  resemblance 
was  very  striking. 


The  High  Priest's  Mitre. 


S8.  That  Aaron  may  bear  the  iniquity, 
&c.  The  implication  plainly  is,  that 
there  might  be,  unconsciously  perhaps 
to  the  offerers,  some  defects  in  the 
oblations  presented,  which  were  gra- 
ciously pardoned — a  frequent  sense  of 
borne  or  carried  in  the  Scriptures— by 
the  intercession  of  the  High  Priest  ap- 


pearing before  God  perfectly  attired 
and  crowned  in  the  manner  presented. 
The  efficacy,  however,  of  this  inter- 
mediation on  the  part  of  Aaron  appears 
to  be  in  some  way  more  especially  con- 
centrated in  this  resplendent  inscribed 
plate  upon  his  forehead,  and  this  we 
think  can  only  be  understood  by  refer. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


169 


head,  that  they  may  be  w  accepted 
before  the  Lord. 
39  If  And  thou  shalt  embroider 

wLev.  1.  4.&22.  27.  &23.  ll.Isai.  56.  7. 

ence  to  the  typical  character  which  the 
High  Priest  sustained.  Christ,  we  well 
know,  is  represented  as  '  bearing  the 
sins,'  i.  e.  the  punishment  due  to  the 
sins  of  men.  Aaron  in  his  office  was  a 
type  of  Christ,  and  accordingly  is  rep- 
resented not  only  as  making  an  atone- 
ment in  general  for  the  sins  of  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  sacrifices  offered,  but  also 
as  making  an  atonement  for  the  imper- 
fections of  the  atonement  itself.  Tiiis 
was  done,  it  appears,  by  what  we  may 
term  the  memorial  and  typical  virtue 
of  the  shining  plate  of  the  Mitre,  upon 
the  inscription  of  which  God  is  sup- 
posed to  look  and  thereby  be  reminded 
of  that  perfect  '  holiness  to  the  Lord' 
which  should  so  preeminently  distin- 
guish the  great  Mediator  whom  Aaron 
represented.  The  following  passages 
must  be  taken  in  this  connexion  in  order 
fully  to  convey  the  import  of  the  lan- 
guage, Ps.  84.  9,  'Behold,  O  God  our 
shield,  and  look  upon  the  face  of  thine 
anointed:  Ps.  132.  9,  10,  <  Let  thy 
priests  be  clothed  with  righteousness ;  I 


the  coat  of  fine  linen,  and  thou 
shalt  make  the  mitre  of  fine  linen, 
and  thou  siialt  make  the  girdle  of 
needle-work. 

and  let  thy  saints  shout  for  joy.  For 
thy  servant  David's  sake,  turn  not  away 
the  face  of  thine  anointed.''  i.  e.  be 
propitious  by  looking  upon  the  face ; 
regard  the  significance  of  the  goldea 
plate.  The  prayers  embracing  this  ex- 
pression appear  to  have  a  special  allu- 
sion to  the  imperfections  of  the  holy 
things  of  the  people  of  God. 

THE    COAT   OR   TUNIC. 

39.  Thou  shalt  embroider  the  coat  of 
fine  linen,  &c.  Heb.  tl^nS  kethoneth. 
This  was  the  innermost  of  the  sa- 
cerdotal vestments,  being  a  long  robe 
with  sleeves  to  the  wrists,  which  sat 
close  to  the  body,  and  extended  down 
to  the  feet.  This  garment  was  not  pe- 
culiar to  the  High  Priest,  but  was  sim- 
ilar to  that  worn  by  the  other  priests 
while  officiating.  What  became  of  the 
tunic  of  the  High  Priests  we  do  not 
know ;  but  that  of  the  common  priests 
was  unravelled  when  old,  and  made 
into  wicks  for  the  lamps  burnt  in  the 
feast  of  tabernacles. 


Thx  Coat,  or  Tunic. 


Vol.  II 


15 


170 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


40  1[  *  And  for  Aaron's  sons  thou 
shah  make  coats,  and  thou  shalt 
make  for  them  girdles,  and  bonnets 
shalt  thou  make  for  them,  for  glory 
and  for  beauty. 

41  And  thou  shalt  put  them  upon 

xver.  4.  ch.  39.27,  28,29,  41.  Ezek.44. 
17.  18. 

THE   GIRDLE. 

IT  Girdle  of  needle-work.  Heb.  tj!3i!^ 
abnet.  This  was  a  piece  of  fine  twined 
linen,  embroidered  with  blue,  purple, 
and  scarlet,  and  which  went  round  the 
body.  Josephus  says  it  was  embroider- 
ed with  flowers  ;  and  also  stales  that  it 
was  four  fingers  broad,  and  that,  after 
being  wound  twice  around  the  body,  it 
was  fastened  in  front,  and  the  ends  al- 
lowed to  hang  down  to  the  feet,  on 
common  occasions;  but  that,  when  offi- 
ciating at  the  altar,  the  priest  threw 
them  over  his  left  shoulder.    Maimoni- 


Aaron  thy  brother,  and  his  sons 
with  him:  and  shalt  y  anoint  them, 
and  z  consecrate  them,  and  sanctify 
them,  that  they  may  minister  un- 
to me  in  the  priest's  office. 

y  ch.  29.  7.  &  30.  30.  &  40.  15.     -^  cU.  29. 
9,  &c.  Lev.  ch.  8.    Hebr.  7.  28. 

des  says  the  Girdle  was  three  fingers 
broad,  and  thirty-two  cubits  long ;  be- 
ing, as  its  length  necessarily  implies, 
wound  many  times  round  the  body.  As 
this  Girdle  was  so  narrow,  its  length, 
if  this  statement  be  correct,  will  not 
seem  extraordinary  to  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  ordinary  length  of 
Oriental  girdles,  and  the  number  of 
times  they  are  carried  around  the  body. 
The  Girdle  was  worn  over  the  embroid- 
ered coat  by  the  common  priests,  to 
whom  this  coat,  unlike  the  attire  of  the 
i  High  Priest,  formed  the  outer  garment. 


The  Girdle. 


THE   BONNETS. 

40.  Bonnets.  Heb.  m5'^3?2  mig- 
haoth.  Gr.  KiSapeii,  tiaras.  Vulg.  'Tia- 
ras.' As  a  difierent  term  is  used  to 
designate  the  article  here  mentioned 
from  that  which  is  applied  to  the  Mitre 
of  the  High  Priest,  there  was  probably 
some  difference  in  the  form ;  but  what 


it  was  precisely  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
According  to  the  Jewish  writers  the 
Bonnets  came  down  lower  upon  the 
forehead  than  the  Mitre,  and  rose  up 
liigher  like  an  hillock,  as  the  original 
is  derived  from  5^3  geba,  a  hillock,  a 
knoll.  In  other  words  they  were  of  a 
more  conical   shape  than   the  Mitre. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


171 


42  And  thou  shalt  make  them 
a  linen  breeches  to  cover  their  na- 
kedness :  from  the  loins  even  unto 
the  thighs  they  shall  reach: 

43  Arid  they  shall  be  upon  Aaron, 
and  upon  his  sons,  when  they  come 
in  unto  the  tabernacle  of  the  con- 

a  ch.  39.  28.  Lev.  6. 10.  &  16.  4.  Ezek.  44.  13. 

This,  however,  does  not  convey  a  very 
distinct  idea,  and  we  must  refer  the 
reader  to  the  accompanying  cut  for  a 
view,  which  is  at  best  conjectural,  of 
the  probable  difference  between  them. 
IT  For  glory  and  for  beauty.  No- 
thing is  more  obvious  than  that  the 
priestly  attire  was  to  be  so  ordered  as 
to  present  an  air  of  impressive  splendor 
and  gorgeousness,  that  a  becoming  rev- 
erence  might  be  inspired  towards  the 
persons  of  those  who  wore  them.  But 
to  us,  they  present  merely  a  gaudy 
spectacle,  a  showy  pageant,  except  so 
far  as  we  fix  our  eye  upon  their  typ- 


gregation,  or  when  they  come  near 
b  unto  the  altar  to  minister  in  the 
holy  place  ;  that  they  c  bear  not  in- 
iquity and  die.  ^  It  shall  be  a  stat- 
ute for  ever  unto  him,  and  his  seed 
after  him. 

b  ch.  20.  26.  c  Lev.  5.  1.  17.  &  20.  19,  20. 
&  22.9.  Numb.  9.  13.  &  18.22.  d  di.  27. 
21.     Lev.  17.  7. 

ical  import.  Here,  and  here  only,  in 
the  glory  of  grace  and  the  beauty  of 
holiness,  which  they  shadowed  forth, 
do  we  behold  the  true  glory  and  beauty 
of  these  sacred  robes.  It  is  only  as  the 
light  of  the  substance  is  reflected  upon 
the  symbol,  that  the  symbol  itself  can 
at  all  shine  in  our  eyes.  But  when  we 
discern  in  these  beauteous  robes  an 
image  of  the  spiritual  attire  of  the 
saints,  the  true  royal  hierarchy,  who 
are  made  at  once  kings  and  priests  unto 
God,  we  feel  no  restraint  in  letting  our 
j  admiration  go  forth  towards  the  exter- 
1  nal  adornments. 


The  Bonnets. 


THE   LINEN   DRAWERS. 

42.  Thou  shalt  make  them  linen 
breeches.  Heb.  ^D  *iDDl3?2  m,iknes'e 
had;  more  properly  linen  drawers, 
which  though  last  mentioned  were  the 
first  put  on.  'The  ancient  Jews,  like 
the  modern  Arabs  and  some  other  Ori- 
entals, did  not  generally  wear  drawers 


or  trowsers.  Maimonides  says  that  the 
drawers  worn  by  the  priests  reached 
from  above  the  navel  to  the  knee,  and 
had  no  opening  before  or  behind,  but 
were  drawn  Up  around  the  body  by 
strings,  like  a  purse.  This  resembles 
the  linen  drawers  worn  by  the  Turks 
and  Persians  at  the  present  day,  ex- 


172 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


eept  that  they  reach  rather  below  the  tight  around  the  body  by  means  of  a 
knee.  They  are  very  wide  altogether^  ,  string  or  girdle,  which  runs  through  a 
and  when  drawn  on  are  fastened  very  |  hem  in  the  upper  border.'     Fict.  Bible. 


The  Drawers. 


In  concluding  this  account  of  the 
priestly  robes,  it  may  be  useful  to  re- 
peat that  the  robes  common  to  all  were 
— the  Drawers,  the  Embroidered  Coat, 
the  Girdle,  and  the  Turban  ;  but,  besides 
this,  the  High  Priest  wore  the  Ephod, 
the  Robe  of  the  Ephod  with  its  Bells 
and  Pomegranates,  the  Breast-plate 
over  the  Ephod,  the  Shoulder-pieces  of 
onyx-stone,  and  the  engraved  ornament 
of  pure  gold  in  front  of  his  turban.  The 
Rabbins  seem  to  have  the  sanction  of 
the  Scripture  for  their  opinion,  that  the 
robes  were  so  essential  a  part  of  the 
priestly  character,  that  without  them  a 
priest  had  no  more  right  than  private 
persons,  or  even  foreigners,  to  officiate 
at  the  altar.  It  seems  that  the  old 
robes  of  the  priests,  as  already  men- 
tioned in  the  Note  on  v.  39,  v/ere  un- 
ravelled, to  be  burnt  as  wicks  for  the 
lamps  at  the  feast  of  tabernacles.  What 
was  done  with  those  of  the  High  Priest 
is  not  known  ;  but  analogy  would  seem 
to  render  it  probable  that  they  were 
similarly  used  for  the  lamps  in  the  tab- 
ernacle. We  may  remark  also  that 
as  no  shoes  or  sandals  are  mentioned 


among  the  sacred  vestments,  it  is  sup- 
posed the  priests  always  ministered 
barefoot.  This  is  perhaps  confirmed  by 
the  fact  that  Moses,  before  the  symbol 
of  Jehovah  at  the  burning  bush,  was 
commanded  to  put  off  his  shoes. 

43.  That  they  bear  not  iniquity  and 
die.  That  is,  that  they  do  not  expose 
themselves  to  be  cut  off  by  a  sudden 
stroke  of  vengeance  for  the  profanity 
of  appearing  before  God  without  their 
holy  garments.  Gr.  kui  ovk  erra^ovTai 
TTpos  iavTOVS  a[iapTiav,  iva  jxri  arrodavixiaif 
and  they  shall  not  bring  sin  upon  theni' 
selves  that  they  die  not.  This  caution, 
as  the  Hebrew  writers  have  gathered, 
was  intended  to  apply  not  to  the  linen 
drawers  only,  but  to  all  the  garments. 
Their  language  is  as  follows :  *  The 
High  Priest  that  ministereth  with  less 
than  these  eight  garments,  or  the  in- 
ferior Priest  that  ministereth  with  less 
than  these  four  garments,  his  service  is 
unlawful,  and  he  is  guilty  of  death  by 
the  hand  of  God,  even  as  a  stranger  that 
ministereth.  When  their  garments  are 
upon  them,  their  priesthood  is  upon 
them ;  if  their  garments  be  not  upon 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


173 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AND  this  is  the  thing  that  thou 
shalt  do  unto  them  to  hallow 
them,  to  minister  unto  me  in  the 

them,  their  priesthood  is  not  upon 
them,  but,  lo,  they  are  as  strangers  ; 
and  it  Is  written.  Num.  1.  51,  'The 
stranger  that  cometh  nigh  shall  be  put 
to  death.' '  Maimonides  in  Ainsworth. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE   CONSECRATION  OF   THE   miESTS. 

As  God  had  said,  v.  41,  of  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  respecting  Aaron  and 
his  sons,  'Thou  shalt  anoint  them  and 
consecrate  them  aud  sanctify  them,  that 
they  may  minister  unto  me  in  the  priest's 
office,'  he  proceeds  in  the  present  chap- 
ter to  prescribe,  with  great  minuteness, 
the  manner  in  which  this  solemn  cere- 
mony should  be  performed.  As  the 
office  which  they  were  to  sustain  was 
in  itself  one  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  themselves  and  the  people,  it  was 
proper  that  the  mode  of  their  induction 
into  it  should  be  in  the  highest  degree 
august  and  impressive  ;  and  as  nothing 
ot  the  kind  had  been  done  before,  and  as 
a  permanent  form  of  inauguration  was 
now  to  be  fixed  upon,  we  see  abundant 
reason  for  the  express  appointment  of 
the  various  ceremonies  by  which  the 
procedure  was  to  be  marked.  These 
were  of  such  a  nature  as  was  calculated 
to  affect  the  incumbents  with  the  great- 
ness and  sacredness  of  the  work  to 
which  they  were  called,  and  also  to 
lead  the  people  to  magnify  and  rever- 
ence an  office  in  which  their  interests 
were  so  deeply  involved.  The  whole 
transaction  was  to  be  so  conducted  that 
there  should  be  ample  evidence  that 
Aaron  and  his  sons  did  not  '  glorify 
themselves  to  be  made  priests,' but  that 
they  were  '  called  of  God'  to  exercise 
the  sacerdotal  functions.  The  Most 
High  did,  as  it  were,  in  this  ceremony 
put  his  hand  upon  them,  distinguish 
15» 


priest's  office:  a  Take  one  young 
bullock,  and  two  rams  without 
blemish, 


a  Lev.  8.2. 


them  from  common  men,  set  them  apart 
from  common  services,  and  make  them 
the  fixed  organ  of  communication  be- 
tween himself  and  the  chosen  race. 
'  The  consecration  of  God  was  upon 
their  heads.'  But  while  they  were  thus 
made  to  feel  that  they  were  invested 
with  an  office  of  the  highest  sanctity, 
and  one  in  which  they  were  to  expiate 
the  sins  of  the  people  by  typical  sacri- 
fices, they  were  not  suffered  to  forget 
that  they  also  were  themselves  sinners, 
and  needed  an  expiation  as  much  as 
any  of  those  for  whom  they  ministered. 
Accordingly  the  very  first  step  in  the 
ceremony  of  consecration  was  the  pro- 
viding of  a  bullock,  rams,  &c.,  as  a  sin- 
offering  for  themselves,  to  keep  them 
perpetually  reminded  of  the  fact  that 
the  '  law  made  men  priests  that  had  in- 
firmity, who  needed  first  to  offer  up  sacri- 
fices for  their  own  sins,  and  then  for  the 
people's,'  Heb.  7.  27,  28.  The  typical 
reference  of  the  office  itself  to  the 
Savior  Jesus  Christ,  the  Messiah  or 
Anointed  One,  the  great  High  Priest  of 
the  Church,  is  very  obvious,  although 
those  parts  of  the  consecrating  cere- 
mony which  implied  sinful  infirmity  in 
its  subjects  could  have  no  bearing  in  re- 
lation to  him  who  was  in  himself 'holy, 
harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sin- 
ners, and  made  higher  than  the  heavens.' 
He  needed  not  to  be  sanctified  by  the 
blood  of  rams  and  bullocks,  or  made 
perfect  by  the  death  of  others,  inas- 
much as  he  has  by  his  one  offering  ol 
himself  upon  the  cross  satisfied  for  ever 
all  the  demands  of  the  law  upon  him- 
self and  his  believing  people. 

1.  And  this  is  the  thing  that  thou 
shalt  do.  Heb.  lilH  haddabar,  the 
tvord.  Gr.  kui  ravra  sariv,  and  these 
are  the  things.  See  Note  on  Gen.  15.  1. 
IT    To  hallow  them.    Heb.  ITJlpb 


.^4 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


2  And   t>  unleavened   bread,   and 
cakes  unleavened  tempered  with 

bLev.  2.  4.  &6.  20,  21,  22. 

tnjJ^  lekadd'esh  otham,  to  sanctify  them, 
to  set  them  apart.  This  is  here  a  term 
denoting  that  general  consecration  to 
the  priestly  office  which  is  expanded  in 
fuller  detail  in  the  sequel  of  the  chap- 
ter. The  subsequent  expression  '  con- 
secrate,' V.  9,  29,  has  respect  rather  to 
one  particular  part  of  the  ceremonies 

enjoined    on  the    occasion. IT    To 

minister  in  the  priesVs  office.  This 
is  expressed  in  Hebrew  by  the  single 
term  '^HlD^  lekah'en,  from  'p'O  koh'en, 
a  priest,  and  signifying  literally  to 
act  the  priest,  to  discharge  the  priest- 
ly functions.     See  Note  on  Ex.  28.  1. 

IT  Take  one  young  bullock.     Heb. 

•^pi  ^2  ItliH.  'nS  par  chad  ben  bakar, 
one  bullock  a  son  (i.  e.  a  youngling)  of 
the  herd.  The  Heb.  '^'D  par,  from  which 
comes  the  German  '  Fane,'  a  young 
bull,  a  bullock,  is  a  generic  term  equiv- 
alent to  the  Lat.  '  pullus,'  a  foal,  de- 
noting the  young  of  cattle,  and  yet  not 
at  the  youngest  age.  It  is  perhaps  most 
properly  rendered,  as  here,  by  bullock, 
as  is  the  fern.  H'^ii  parah  by  heifer'.  Gr. 
^xo(y')(^apiov  ek  Pomi',  n  youngling  or  calf 
of  the  oxen.  Some  of  the  Hebrew  doc- 
tors suppose  that  lp'2  ']'2  ben  bakar  im- 
plies a  bullock  of  not  less  than  three 
years  old ;  but  this  cannot  be  made  to 
appear,  though  it  doubtless  denotes  one 

that  has  been  sometime  weaned. 

IT  Without  blemish.  Heb.  ti^Z^TZlTi  te- 
mimim,  perfect;  i.  e.  witliout  defect, 
superfluity,  or  deformity.  The  animal 
and  the  other  articles  mentioned  in  this 
connexion  were  to  be  the  first  which 
were  to  be  provided,  but  they  were  not 
to  be  used  till  various  other  prelimin- 
ary ceremonies,  such  as  washing,  rob- 
ing, &c.,  had  been  performed.  In  fact 
the  consecration  itself  here  ordered  did 
not  take  place  till  after  the  tabernacle 
was  erected.  See  Lev.  8.  9.  10. 
2.  Unleavened  bread,  and  cakes,  &c. 


oil,  and  wafers  unleavened  annoint- 
ed  with  oil :  o/wheaten  flour  shall 
thou  make  them. 


It  is  important  to  bear  in  mind,  in  re- 
ference to  the  Jewish  ritual  generally, 
that  the  ideas  of  sacrificing  and  of 
feasting  are  very  intimately  related  to 
each  other.  We  are  doubtless  much  in 
the  habit  of  regarding  the  offerings  of 
the  Mosaic  law  as  pertaining  wholly  to 
one  party,  and  as  a  purely  expiatory 
act  on  the  part  of  the  offerer,  in  which 
nothing  of  amutual  nature  was  implied. 
But  the  truth  is,  these  sacrifices  actual- 
ly partook  more  or  less  of  the  character 
of  a  mutual  entertainment ,  for  with  the 
exception  of  the  holocaust,  or  whole' 
burnt-offering,  and  of  certain  parts 
which  were  ofiered  and  consumed  upon 
the  altar,  the  rest  were  eaten  by  the  offer- 
ers and  the  priests,  and  this  fact  will  ac- 
count for  some  of  the  oblations  consist- 
ing of  articles  which  were  and  always 
have  been  articles  of  diet.  The  Most 
High  could  not  be  expected  of  course  to 
make  a  party  at  a  literal  table,  but  at 
the  same  time  such  viands  as  would  be 
set  upon  a  table  might  be  offered  to  him^ 
and  the  fire  of  his  altar  as  his  repre- 
sentative might  consume  them.  Con- 
sidering therefore  the  character  and  re- 
lation of  the  parties,  the  disposal  of 
the  sacrificial  offerings  came  as  near 
perhaps  to  the  semblance  of  a  mutual 
feast  as  the  nature  of  the  case  would 
allow.  If  this  view  of  the  subject  be 
admitted,  it  will  account  for  the  re- 
quirement of  such  offerings  on  the  pres- 
sent  occasion  as  unleavened  cakes  and 
wafers  mingled  with  oil.  In  our  ordin- 
ary meals  fiesh  and  bread  go  together  ; 
and  so  in  the  present  case,  although  the 
ram  was  to  be  a  holocaust,  yet  the  bul- 
lock was  to  be  part  offered  and  part 
eaten,  constituting  with  its  annexed 
meat  or  meal-offering,  the  matter  of  an 
entertainment  in  which  God  and  they 
might  feast  together  in  token  of  friend- 
sliip  and  fellowship.     In  this  there  wa.i 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


175 


3  And  thou  shalt  put  them  into 
one  basket,  and  bring  them  in  the 
basket,  with  the  bullock  and  the 
two  ranis. 

4  And  Aaron  and  his  sons  thou 
shalt  bring  unto  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  c  and 
shalt  wash  them  with  water. 

c  ch.  40. 12.    Lev.  8.  6.   Hebr.  10.  22. 


a  distinct  allusion  to  the  prevalent  cus- 
tom in  the  East  of  ratifying  every  im- 
portant covenant  transaction  by  an  en- 
tertainment of  which  the  covenanting 
parties  partook  together.  In  like  man- 
ner, the  Lord's  supper  is  often  properly- 
represented  as  a  feast  upon  a  sacrifice. 
While  it  commemorated  the  sacrifice 
made  by  the  death  of  the  divine  victim 
it  betokened  at  the  same  time  the  pa- 
cification and  covenant  fellowship  of 
Christ  and  his  followers.  The  vegeta- 
ble offering  here  prescribed  as  an  ac- 
companiment to  the  animal  sacrifice 
constituted  a  nn3)2  minhah  or  mincha, 
as  it  is  usually  termed,  of  the  nature  of 
which  see  Note  on  Gen.  4.  3.  The  two 
first,  the  bread  and  the  cakes,  were 
mixed  with  oil  (i.  e.  oil  of  olives)  be- 
fore baking  ;  the  last,  the  wafers,  were 
merely  smeared  with  oil  after  they  were 
baked.  The  original  term  for  'wafers' 
C'^p'^p'l  rekikim  comes  from  pp^  ra- 
kak,  to  be  or  to  be  made  thin,  and  is 
applied  to  signify  a  thin  kind  of  cakes 
similar  to  what  are  known  among  us  by 
the  name  of  'pan-cakes.'  The  Ital. 
version  has  '  fritella'  fritters.  These 
were  all  to  be  put  into  a  basket  as  con- 
stituting one  nro)3  minhah  or  bread- 
offering,  and  brought  along  with  the 
bullock  and  the  rams  to  the  door  of 
the  tabernacle,  and  there  presented  to 
the  Lord. 

4.  Shalt  bring  unto  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle.  To  the  open  space  in  the 
court  in  front  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
near  the  entrance.  It  was  here  that 
the  altar  and  the  laver  stood,  and  where 
all  the  ordinary  sacrificial  services  were 


5  d  And  thou  shalt  take  the  gar- 
ments, and  put  upon  Aaron  the 
coat,  and  the  robe  of  the  ephod, 
and  the  ephod,  and  the  breast- 
plate, and  gird  him  with  e  the  cu- 
rious girdle  of  the  ephod : 

6  f  And  thou  shalt  put  the  mitre 

d  ch.  28.  2.  Lev.  8.  7.  e  ch.  28.  8.  t  Lev 
8.9. 

performed.  Moreover,  as  God  was 
pleased  to  dwell  by  his  Shekinah  in 
the  tabernacle,  and  the  people  attended 
in  the  court,  it  was  peculiarly  appro- 
priate that  those  who  were  to  act  as 
mediators  between  these  two  parties 
should  be  consecrated  in  some  inter- 
vening spot  between  them ;  and  such  a 
spot  was  here  appointed  where  the  sa- 
cerdotal daysman  might,  as    it  were, 

'  lay  his  hand  upon  both.' IT  Shalt 

wash  them  with  water.  That  is,  with 
the  water  of  the  laver,  which  was  made, 
anointed,  and  set  in  the  court  of  the 
tabernacle  before  the  priests  were  con- 
secrated. It  is  reasonably  supposed, 
though  not  expressly  asserted,  that  on 
this  occasion  their  whole  bodies  were 
washed,  whereas  at  other  times  when 
engaged  in  their  ministrations  they  on- 
ly washed  their  hands  and  feet ;  and  to 
this  our  Savior  perhaps  alludes,  John, 
13.  10,  'He  that  is  washed  needeth  not 
save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  every 
whit.'  The  object  of  this  preliminary 
oblation  cannot  well  be  mistaken.  It 
was  emblematical  of  that  inward  spir- 
itual cleansing  which  so  obviously  be- 
comes those  who  minister  in  holy 
things.  '  Be  ye  clean  that  bear  the 
vessels  of  the  Lord,'  is  the  fixed  de- 
cree of  heaven. 

5.  Thou  shalt  take  the  garments,  &c. 
The  entire  person  having  duly  under- 
gone the  prescribed  ablution,  the  next 
step  was  the  putting  on  the  priestly 
garments  so  particularly  described  in 
the  preceding  chapter.  By  this  was  im- 
plied that  not  only  were  they  to  put 
away  the  impurities  of  the  flesh,  but  to 


176 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


upon  his  head,  and  put  the  holy 
crown  upon  the  mitre. 
7  Then  shalt  thou  take  the  an- 


clothe  themselves  also  with  the  graces 
of  the  Spirit,  significantly  shadowed 
forth  by  the  splendid  robes  in  which 
they  were  to  officiate.  The  original 
word  for  '  gird'  is  HSi^  aphad,  to  bind, 
girdle,  enclose,  from  which  'Ephod'  is 
a  derivative.  The  act  of  girding  seems 
to  denote  readiness  and  preparation 
for  active  service.  So  the  ministers  of 
Christ,  prompt  to  do  his  will,  are  sym- 
bolically represented,  Rev.  15.  6,  by 
*  angels  coming  out  of  the  temple  cloth- 
ed in  pure  and  white  linen,  and  having 
their  breasts  girded  with  golden  girdles  J 

IT  The  holy  crown.    That  is,  the 

plate  of  gold  with  the  blue  lace  above 
mentioned,  Ex.  28.  36,  37.  It  is  here 
called  "^tD  nezer,  separation,  from  its 
being  a  bad^e  of  the  wearer  being  sep- 
arated from  his  brethren.  It  is  else- 
where  used  as  a  denomination  of  the 
diadems  of  kings,  2  Sam.  1.  19.  Ps.  89. 
40.  The  mention  of  the  linen  drawers 
is  here  omitted,  because  they  were  put 
on  privately  before  they  came  to  the 
more  public  vestry  at  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle. 

7.  Thou  shalt  then  take  the  anoint- 
ing oil,  &c.  Heb.  nn'I^^n  "p'^  she- 
men  hammishshah,  oil  of  unction;  the 
peculiar  mode  of  compounding  which 
for  sacred  purposes  is  afterwards  de- 
tailed, Ex.  30.  23—33.  This  was  per- 
haps the  most  important,  because  the 
most  significant,  part  of  the  ceremony 
of  the  consecration.  As  the  High  Priest 
was  a  type  of  Christ,  whatever  part  of 
the  ceremonies  represented  the  most 
eminent  endowments  and  attributes  of 
the  great  Antitype  were  certainly  of 
paramount  import  to  all  others.  Now 
the  ineffable  sanctity  of  the  Savior,  the 
measureless  possession  of  the  gifts  and 
graces  the  Holy  Spirit  conferred  upon 
him,  was  one  of  those  divine  qualifi- 


ointing  g  oil,  and  pour  it  upon  his 
head,  and  anoint  him. 

S  ch.  28.  41.  &  30.  35.    Lev.  8.  12.  &  10,  7, 
&  21.  10.     Num.  35.  25. 


cations  which  went  preeminently  to 
constitute  the  greatness,  the  fitness, 
and  glory  of  his  sacerdotal  character  ; 
and  so  far  as  the  communication  of 
this  plenary  gift  of  the  Spirit  could  be 
shadowed  forth  by  any  physical  act,  it 
was  done  by  the  process  of  anointing. 
Thus,  Is.  61.  1,  'The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
God  is  upon  me,  because  the  Lord  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach,'  &c.  Indeed  it 
is  from  the  import  of  this  act  that  our 
Lord  receives  his  most  familiar  desig- 
nation. The  Heb.  term  for  anoint  is 
nm^Q  mashah,  from  which  comes  n"''I!J^ 
mashiah  or  Messiah.  Greek  XpiaTog, 
Christ,  i.  e.  the  Anointed  One,  the  pre- 
eminent and  distinguishing  appellation 
of  the  Savior  of  men.  The  consecration 
of  the  High  Priest  to  his  office  was  a 
type  of  that  of  Christ,  and  of  this  the 
pouring  out  of  the  holy  oil  was  a  most 
beautiful  emblem.  As  oil  insinuates  it- 
self into  and  diffuses  itself  over  the 
body  to  which  it  is  applied,  so  the  divine 
nature,  the  informing  Spirit  of  God, 
possessed  wholly  the  human  person  of 
Jesus,  communicating  to  him  all  those 
attributes  and  perfections  which  ex- 
alted the  '  name  of  Jesus  above  every 
name,'  and  qualified  him  to  act  as 
Mediator  between  God  and  man.  In 
the  consecration  of  the  Aaronic  order, 
the  inferior  priests  were  only  sprinkled 
with  this  oil  mixed  with  the  blood  of 
the  sacrifice,  but  in  the  unction  of  tb? 
High  Priest  the  oil  was  so  copiously 
poured  forth  as  to  '  run  down  upon  the 
beard,  and  even  to  the  skirts  of  his  gar- 
ments.' It  was  like  '  the  dew  of  Her- 
mon,'  says  the  Psalmist,  'descending 
upon  the  mountains  of  Zion.'  This  was 
because  it  pointed  to  him  who  received 
the  Spirit  '  without  measure.'  He  was 
'  anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above 
his  fellows  ;'  i.  e.  above  those  who  pos- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


177 


8  And  h  thou  shalt  bring  his  sons,  i  put  the  bonnets  on  them;  and  i  the 
and  put  coats  upon  them.  !  priest's  office  shall  be  theirs  for  a 

9  And  thou  shalt  gird  them  with  \  perpetual  statute :  and  thou  shalt 
girdles  (Aaron  and  his  sons)  and    k  consecrate  Aaron  and  his  sons. 


h  Lev.  8. 13. 


sessed  with  him  a.  fellowship  or  similar- 
ity of  office  J  as  types  of  himself.  Aaron 
was  anointed  high  priest ;  Saul  was 
anointed  king ;  Elisha  was  anointed 
prophet ;  Melchizedek,  king  and  priest ; 
Moses,  priest  and  prophet ;  David,  king 
and  prophet :  yet  none  was  ever  anoint- 
ed to  the  joint  possession  of  all  these 
dignities  together  save  the  Christ  of 
God,  the  antitype  of  them  all.  Chris- 
tians derive  the  name  of  Christians 
from  their  profession  of  Christ,  and  the 
nature  and  character  oi  Christians  from 
their  union  to  Christ.  It  is  their  pe- 
culiar privilege  and  distinguishing  joy, 
'  to  have  the  unction  from  the  Holy 
One,  and  to  know  all  things,'  that  are 
necessary  for  them  to  know.  As  the 
oil  which  was  poured  upon  Aaron  was 
so  copiously  effused  as  to  run  down  to 
the  '  skirts  of  his  clothing,'  so  the  unc- 
tion of  the  Holy  One  was  so  abundant, 
that  from  him  as  the  Head,  it  ever  has 
and  ever  will  run  down  to  the  mean- 
est and  weakest  believers.  And  this 
*  anointing  which  they  receive  of  him, 
abideth  in  them,  and  teacheth  them.' 
What  distinguished  honor  then,  what 
strong  consolation,  pertain  to  them, 
who  are  made  one  with  Christ,  and  who 
feel  the  heavenly  influences  of  his  Spirit 
in  their  souls  !  They  obtain  a  life  from 
him  with  which  they  were  not  born  ; 
and  which  because  it  is  his  life  can 
never  be  destroyed  ! 

8.  And  thou  shalt  bring.  Heb.  i'^lptl 
takrib,  shalt  bring  near,  shalt  cause  to 
approach.  But  whether  the  term  is  to 
be  understood  in  a  general  sense  of  their 
being  set  apart  or  devoted  to  the  service 
of  God,  or  more  strictly  of  their  being 
brought  near  to  the  door  of  the  Taber- 
nacle, where  these   consecration-cere-  I 


i  Num.  18. 
Ilebr.  7.  28. 


kch.  23.  41.  Lev.  8.22.  &c. 


monies  were  to  be  performed,  is  not 
certain.  They  were  to  be  immediately 
robed  in  their  sacred  garments,  as  the 
anointing  rite  Avas  to  be  confined  to 
Aaron  as  High  Priest.  These  garments 
were  the  drawers  or  breeches,  the  coat, 
the  girdle,  and  the  bonnet.  The  first 
two  were  like  those  of  the  High  Priest. 
The  bonnet  was  probably  the  same  as 
the  mitre  worn  by  the  high  priest  with 
the  slight  difference  before  mentioned. 
The  girdles  of  the  inferior  priests  were 
of  the  same  form  as  that  of  the  high 
priest ;  but  less  costly  and  of  less  ele- 
gant texture.  These  four  garments 
were  of  linen,  such  as  were  worn  by  the 
Egyptian  priests  as  emblems  of  inno- 
cence. Cicero  has  observed  from  Plato, 
that  '  white  is  a  color  peculiarly  becom- 
ing the  Deity.' 

9.  Put  bonnets  on  them.  Heb.  rilU^n 
on  J  habashta  lahem,  shalt  bind  to  them; 
a  phraseology  adapted  to  the  act  of 
wrapping  a  head-dress  upon  one,  where- 
as our  term  'put'  is  more  obviously 
conformed  to  the  usages  with  Avhich 
we  are  familiar  in  loosely  and  lightly 
covering  the  head  with  a  cap,  hat,  or 

bonnet. IT  For  a  perpetual  statute. 

Heb.  t]in3>  t^pn^  lehukkath  olam,  for 
a  statute  of  eternity;  i.  e.  they  shall 
enjoy  that  office  in  uninterrupted  suc- 
cession as  long  as  the  Aaronical  Priest- 
hood itself  continued. IT  Thou  shalt 

consecrate  Aaron  and  his  sons.  This, 
as  we  have  before  remarked,  is  not  the 
term  for  the  general  act  of  consecration 
here  described,  but  for  a  particular 
ceremony  forming  a  part  of  it.  The 
original  is  *Ti  tMHib'n  milletha  yad,  thou 
shalt  fill  the  hand  of  Aaron  and  his  sons  ; 
an  expression  alluding  to  the  fact  of 
sotT)e  part  of  tlie   sacrifice  being  put 


178 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


10  And  thou  shall  cause  a  bullock 
to  be  brought  before  the  tabernacle 
of  the  congregation;  and  i  Aaron 

1  Lev.  1.  4.  &  8.  14. 

into  their  hands  to  be  waved  and  then 
borne  to  the  altar.  As  sacrificing  was 
a  very  prominent  part  of  the  sacerdotal 
office,  this  was  a  ceremony  strikingly 
significant  of  the  nature  of  the  functions 
which  they  were  called  to  discharge ; 
and  as  it  was  the  first  or  initiating 
action  that  marked  their  entrance  upon 
the  performance  of  the  priestly  services, 
the  idea  of  consummation  or  perfection 
is  attached  to  it,  for  which  reason  it  is 
rendered  in  English  by  the  term  conse- 
crate, as  if  it  were  the  crowning  cere- 
mony of  the  whole.  So  also  the  Gr. 
TfXctajceij  Aapojv  rag  ^etpag  avrov,  kui 
Tag  ^eipag  royv  'viwv  avrov^  thou  shalt 
consummate,  or  perfect,  the  hands  of 
Aaron  and  the  hands  of  his  sons;  i.e. 
thou  shalt  do  to  him,  through  the  me- 
dium of  his  hands,  tliat  wliich  shall  be 
virtually  the  perfecting  act  of  investi- 
ture upon  his  person.  Arab.  'Thou  shalt 
complete,  or  perfect,  the  glory  of  Aaron 
and  the  glory  of  his  sons.'  According- 
ly in  allusion  to  this  the  apostle,  Heb. 
7.  28,  says,  'The  law  makelh  men  high 
priests  which  have  infirmity ;  but  the 
word  of  the  oath,  which  was  since  the 
law,  maketh  the  son  who  is  consecrated 
{rercXEiwuevov  perfected)  for  evermore. 
The  allusion  is  probably  the  same  in 
other  cases  where  the  term  '  perfect'  is 
applied  to  Christ,  implying  an  official 
instead  of  personal  perfection,  or  in 
other  words  that  fulness  of  endowment, 
and  that  completeness  of  initiation, 
which  so  signally  marked  the  preemin- 
ence of  his  mediatorial  character.  The 
usage  which  elsewhere  obtains  in  re- 
gard to  the  Hebrew  phrase  may  serve 
to  give  a  still  clearer  view  of  its  import 
in  this  connexion,  1  Chron.  29.  3,  5,  '  I 
have  prepared  for  the  holy  house — the 
gold  for  things  of  gold,  and  the  silver 


and  his  sons  shall  put  their  hands 
upon  the  head  of  the  bullock. 

11  And  thou  shalt  kill  the  bullock 
before  the  Lord,  hy  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  conffre^ation. 


for  things  of  silver,  and  for  all  manner 
of  work  to  be  made  by  the  hands  of 
artificers.  And  who  then  is  willing  to 
consecrate  his  service  (TT^  rii^^DTS^ 
lemalloth  yado,  to  fill  his  hands)  this 
day  unto  the  Lord.'  This  is  obviously 
an  exhortation  to  a  liberal  giving  to 
a  sacred  purpose ;  and  whoever  pro- 
poses to  make  a  donation  takes  his 
gift  in  his  hand,  and  the  larger  it  is, 
the  more  is  his  hand  filled  with  it. 
Again,  Ex.  32.  28,  29,  'And  the  chil- 
dren of  Levi  did  according  to  the  word 
of  Moses  ;  and  there  fell  of  the  people 
that  day  about  three  thousand  men.  For 
Moses  had  said.  Consecrate  yourselves 
(QiT^  1i\^^  milu  yedkem,  fill  your 
hands)  to  day  to  the  Lord,  even  every 
man  upon  his  son  and  upon  his  brother.' 
This  was  a  kind  of  initiating  or  inau' 
gurating  act  on  the  part  of  the  tribe  of 
Levi — a  specimen  of  such  thorough- 
going obedience  to  the  divine  mandate 
as  to  amount  to  an  installing  of  them- 
selves in  the  official  dignity  to  which 
they  were  destined.  It  is  easy  to  per- 
ceive from  all  this  the  true  force  of  the 
expression.  'The  filling  of  the  hands,' 
says  Rab.  Solomon,  '  is  nothing  else 
than  an  initiation  when  one  enters  up- 
on any  business  that  he  may  be  con- 
firmed in  it  from  that  day  forward.'  In 
a  somewhat  like  manner  it  is  said  to 
have  been  formerly  customary  in  the 
English  church,  when  a  minister  was 
ordained,  for  the  Bishop  to  put  into  his 
hand  a  Bible  indicative  of  the  nature  of 
the  work  upon  which  he  had  now  en- 
tered, and  of  which  his  hands,  as  well  as 
his  head  and  his  heart,  were  to  he  full. 

The  Bullock  for  a  Sin-offering. 
10.  And  thou  shalt  cause  a  bullock  to 
be  brought,  &c.    The  due  completion 


B.  C.  U9i.] 


CHAPTEH  XXIX. 


179 


12  And  thou  m  slialt  take  of  the 
blood  of  the  bullock,  and  put   it 


I"  Lev.  8.  15. 


upon  >'  the  horns  of  the  altar  with 
thy  finger,  and  pour  all  the  blood 
beside  the  bottom  of  the  altar. 


of  the  various  ceremonies  above  de- 
scribed was  followed  by  the  oblation  of 
their  sacrifices  for  Aaron  and  his  sons ; 
(1.)  A  sin-offering  ;  (2.)  A  burnt-offer- 
ing; (3.)  A  peace-offering.  Tlie  sin- 
offering,  which  here  consisted  of  a  bul- 
lock, was  a  kind  of  expiation  by  which 
they  were  first  of  all  to  be  purified.  By 
the  ceremony  of  putting  their  hands 
upon  the  head  of  the  victim  was  signi- 
fied, (1.)  that  the  offerer  had  need  of  a 
sacrifice  to  atone  for  his  sins ;  (2.)  that 
he  symbolically  transferred  his  sins  to 
the  victim;  (3.)  that  he  confided  in 
faith  and  hope  that  although  he  deserv- 
ed himself  to  die,  yet  the  death  of  the 
animal,  which  he  thus  devoted  to  God, 
would  be  accepted  as  an  expiation  for 
his  sins,  so  as  to  avert  from  him  the 
punishment  which  they  had  righteously 
incurred.  The  same  ceremony  of  im- 
position of  hands  was  enjoined  upon 
every  one  who  brought  a  sacrifice  for 
his  sins.  Lev.  4.  24,  29,  and  the  manner 
of  it,  as  practised  by  the  Jews,  is  thus 
particularly  described  by  Maimonides 
in  his  Treatise  on  the  Sacrificial  Offer- 
ings;  'There  is  no  imposing  of  hands 
but  in  the  court.  If  he  lay  on  hands 
without,  he  must  lay  them  on  again 
within.  None  may  impose  hands  but  a 
clean  person.  In  the  place  where  hands 
are  imposed,  there  they  kill  the  beast 
immediately  after  the  imposition.  He 
that  imposeth  must  do  it  with  all  his 
might,  with  both  his  hands  upon  the 
beast's  head,  not  upon  the  neck  or 
sides ;  and  there  may  be  nothing  be- 
tween his  hands  and  the  beast.  If  the 
sacrifice  be  of  the  most  holy  things, 
it  standeth  on  the  north  side  (as  Lev. 
1.  11.),  with  the  face  to  the  west;  the 
imposer  standeth  eastward  with  his 
face  to  the  west,  and  layeth  his  two 
hands  between  the  two  horns,  and  con- 


n  ch.  27.  2.  &  30.  2. 


fesseth  sin  over  the  sin-offering  and 
trespass  over  the  trespass-offering,  &c., 
and  saith,  <  I  have  sinned  ;  I  have  com- 
mitted iniquity;  I  have  trespassed,  and 
done  thus  and  thus,  and  do  return  by 
repentance  before  thee,  and  with  this  I 
make  atonement,' '  And  what  could 
more  strikingly  represent  the  fact  that, 
in  the  economy  of  redemption,  the  sins 
of  men  are  imputed  to  Christ,  *  upon 
whom  the  Lord  hath  laid  the  iniquity 
of  us  all,'  Is.  53.  6  —  8.  With  this 
solemn  rite  before  us,  how  evangelic 
and  happy  the  familiar  strain  of  the 
Christian  psalmist  ; 

My  faith  would  lay  her  hand 
On  that  dear  head  of  thine, 

While  like  a  penitent  I  stand, 
And  there  confess  my  sin. 

My  soul  looks  back  to  see 
The  burden  thou  didst  bear, 

When  hanging  on  the  cursed  tree, 
And  hopes  her  guilt  was  there. 

11.  And  thou  shalt  kill  the  bullock 
before  the  Lord.  That  is  before  tho 
Shekinah.  '  Thou  shalt  kill'  is  doubt- 
less equivalent  to  '  thou  shalt  cause  to 
have  killed.'  It  is  not  necessary  to  sup- 
pose that  Moses,  who  was  not  strictly 
a  priest,  killed  the  bullock  in  person. 

12.  Put  it  on  the  horns  of  the  altar. 
The  first  sin-offering  diflered  from  those 
ordinarily  presented  by  the  priests,  in 
which  the  blood  was  carried  into  the 
Tabernacle,  and  applied  to  the  horns  oi 
the  golden  altar  of  incense.  Lev.  4. 3,  7, 
whereas  in  the  present  instance  the 
blood  was  put  upon  the  horns  of  the  braz- 
en altar  of  burnt-offering  which  stood  ia 
the  court.  But  the  design  of  this  first 
oblation  was  to  make  atonement  for  the 
altar  itself,  and  to  sanctify  it,  that  it 
might  afterward  be  fit  to  sanctify  the 


180 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


13  And  o  thou  shalt  take  all  the    the  two  kidneys,  and  the  fat  that 


fat  that  covereth  the  inwards,  and 
the  caul  that  is  above  the  liver,  and 


o  Lev.  3.  3. 


offerings  of  the  people  laid  upon  it,  as 
is  iutimated  v.  36,  37,  and  siill  more 
plainly  taught,  Ezek.  43.  25,  26.  Be- 
sides this,  the  ceremony  did  not  in  this 
respect  differ  at  this  time  from  that  ob- 
served by  common  persons,  inasmuch 
as  Aaron  and  his  sons  did  not  become 
full  priests  till  the  period  of  their  seven 
days'  consecration  was  ended. — IT  And 
pour  all  the  blood.    That  is,  all  the  rest 

of  the  blood. IT  Beside  the  bottom  of 

the  altar.  Where  there  was  a  trench 
into  which  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices 
was  poured. 

13.  The  fat  that  covereth  the  in- 
wards. By  the  fat  that  covereth  the 
inwards  is  meant  the  thin  fatty  mem- 
brane extended  over  the  intestines,  call- 
ed in  Lev.  9.  19,  simply  '  that  which 
covereth;'  and  technically  denominated 
the  omenturn — supposed  to  have  been 
so  called  from  the  fact  that  the  heathen 
diviners  derived  the  good  or  bad  omens 
from  the  observation  of  this  part  of  the 
animal.  Although  in  many  instances 
the  '  fat'  is  said  to  denote  the  best  or 
choicest  part  of  any  thing,  as  is  ob- 
served upon  Gen.  4.  4,  yet  in  other 
cases  it  is  evidently  used  as  equivalent 
to  that  which  is  evil,  from  the  fact  that 
fatness  is  naturally  understood  to  imply 
an  obtuseness  of  sensibility.  Thus  it  is 
said  of  the  wicked,  Ps,  119.  70,  '  Their 
heart  is  as  fat  as  grease.'  So  Deut.  32. 
15,  'But  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and  kick- 
ed  ;  thou  art  waxen  fat,  thou  art  grown 
thick,  thou  art  covered  with  fatness; 
then  he  forsook  God  which  made  him.' 
Again,  Is.  6.  10,  'Make  the  heart  of 
this  people  fat,  &c.,  lest  they  under- 
stand,' &c.  The  '  fat'  therefore,  as  a 
signal  of  man's  corruption,  God  ordered 
to  be  consumed  with  fire  on  the  altar, 
teachmg  perhaps  the  necessity  of  the 
mortification  of  our  earthly  members 


is  upon  them,  and  burn  thern  upon 
the  altar. 


by  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ.— — 
If  The  caul  that  is  above  the  liver.  Het 
I3^n  ^3?  n^fi"'  yothereth  al  hakkabed 
the  redundance  of  the  liver.  Gr.  rot 
\o(Sqv  top  /JTraro?,  the  lobe  of  the  liver f 
I.e.  the  greater  lobe  of  the  liver,  which, 
although  a  part  of  the  Jiver  itself,  may 
very  properly  be  rendered  ' the  lobe 
over  or  by  the  liver.'  As  the  gall-blad- 
der is  attached  to  this  part  of  the  liver 
it  is  probably  to  be  included  in  the  pre- 
cept of  consumption.  Parkburst  re- 
marks }  'If  the  great  excellence  of  this 
billious  juice,  and  its  importance  to  the 
well-being  of  the  animal,  together  with 
its  influence  and  instrumentality  in  the 
passions,  both  concupiscible  and  irasci- 
ble, are  duly  considered^  we  shall  see 
the  reasons  why  the  gall-bladder  was 
especially  ordered  by  God  to  be  taken 
off  and  consumed  on  the  altar.'  Of  the 
moral  design  of  this  part  of  the  Jewish 
ritual  the  early  Jewish  commentators 
say;  'Therefore  the  kidneys  and  the 
fat  which  is  on  them,  and  the  caul  that 
covereth  the  liver,  were  burnt  unto  God 
to  make  atonement  for  the  sins  of  men,, 
which  proceedeth  out  of  the  thoughts  of 
the  reinS;  and  the  lust  of  the  liver,  and 
the  fatness  of  the  heart,  for  they  all 

consent  in  sin.' IT  And  burn  them 

upon  the  altar.  Heb.  DltJpn  hiktarta^ 
burn.  The  original  here  is  not  the 
word  usually  employed  to  signify  con- 
suming by  fire.  The  Heb,  'I'Dp  katar, 
in  its  native  import,  implies  the  mak- 
ing  a  fume  by  incense,  and  when  ap- 
plied to  sacrifices  denotes  the  rising  up 
of  their  smoke  as  the  vapor  of  incense, 
from  their  peculiar  acceptableness  to 
him  to  whom  they  were  offered.  From 
the  same  root  comes  n^t2p)2  miktoreth, 
a  censer,  an  instrument  for  fuming  in- 
cense; and  in  the  participle  "ItSpD  nik- 
tar,  perfumed,  we  trace  the  origin  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


181 


14  But  p  the  flesh  of  the  bullock, 
and  his  skin,  and  his  dung  shalt 
thou  bum  with  fire  without  the 
camp :  it  es  a  sin-ofTering. 

P  Lev,  4.  II,  12,  21.     Ileb.  13.  11. 

the  classic  Nectar,  the  fabled  beverage 
of  the  gods,  from  their  inhaling  the  per- 
fumed odor  of  incense  as  if  it  were  a 
delightful  drink.  It  was  probably  to 
convey  a  somewhat  similar  idea  that 
the  word  is  employed  in  the  present 
connexion,  viz.,  tliat  these  bloody  sa- 
crifices, rightly  and  reverently  present- 
ed, were  as  acceptable  as  if  they  had 
been  an  offering  of  incense. 

14.  But  the  flesh,  &c.,  shalt  thou  burn 
with  fire  without  the  camp.  Here  the 
word  for  '  burning'  is  intirely  different 
from  that  in  the  former  verse,  imply- 
ing a  consumption  by  a  strong  fire 
and  excluding  the  idea  of  that  grateful 
incense-like  odor  which  was  conveyed 
by  the  sacrifice  of  the  fat.  It  appears 
to  have  been  ordained  with  a  view  to 
inspire  a  greater  detestation  of  sin  in 
those  sustaining  the  priestly  office. 
The  language  of  the  actioi*  was,  'Let 
all  iniquity  he  far  from  them  that  bear 
the  vessels  of  the  Lord.'  In  the  case 
of  a  sin-offering  for  the  prince  or  any 
other  person,  this  usage  of  burning 
without  the  camp  was  not  observ- 
ed, but  as  the  iniquities  of  the  priests 
were  of  a  more  heinous  character,  a 
corresponding  brand  of  reprobation  was 
stamped  upon  them  by  this  enactment. 
It  was  doubtless  with  a  view  to  indicate 
that  Christ  was  made  a  sacrifice  under 
circumstances  of  the  greatest  possible 
ignominy  that  the  apostle,  Heb.  13.  12, 
13,  alludes  to  this  precept  of  the  law; 
'Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  he  might 
sanctify  the  people  with  his  own  blood, 
suffered  without  the  gate.  Let  us  go 
forth,  therefore,  unto  him  without  the 

camp,  bearing  his  reproach.' IT  It  is 

a  sin-offering.  Heb.  Jsiin  tlit'cn  hat- 
tath  hu,  it  is  a  sin.  This  strong  lan- 
guage implied  that  it  must  be  treated 

Vor.  II.  16 


15  H  q  Thou  shalt  also  take  one 
ram ;  and  Aaron  and  his  sons  shall 
r  put  their  hands  upon  the  head  of 
the  ram. 

qLev.  8.  18.    rLev.  1.4,— 9. 

with  abhorrence  and  consumed  by  the 
fire,  as  if  it  were  sin  itself.  Judging 
from  the  usage  of  the  Greek  it  would 
seem  that  the  phrase  is  accurately 
enough  translated,  but  the  expression 
throv.'s  a  decided  light  upon  the  em- 
I)hatic  language  of  the  apostle,  2  Cor. 
5.  21 ,  '  Christ  was  made  sin  for  us,  who 
knew  no  sin  ;  that  we  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.' 

The  Ram  for  a  Burnt-offering. 
15.  Thou  shalt  also  take  one  ram. 
That  is,  one  of  the  two  commanded  to 
be  taken,  v.  1.  The  remark  of  Rabbi 
Levi  ben  Gerson  respecting  the  design 
of  these  several  victims  may  here  be 
appropriately  given.  'It  is  proper  to 
notice  the  order  in  which  these  sacri- 
fices were  offered.  For  first  of  all  an 
atonement  for  sins  v;as  made  by  the 
sin-offering j  of  which  nothing  but  the 
fat  was  offered  to  God  (to  whom  be 
praise)  ;  because  the  offerers  were  not 
yet  worthy  of  God's  acceptance  of  a  gift 
and  present  from  them.  But  after  they 
had  been  purified,  to  indicate  their  be- 
ing devoted  to  the  sacred  office,  they 
immolated  to  God  (to  whom  be  praise) 
a  holocaust,  which  was  entirely  con- 
sumed upon  the  alter.  And  after  the 
holocaust  they  offered  a  sacrifice  re- 
sembling a  peace-offering,  of  which 
part  used  to  be  given  to  God,  part  to 
the  priests,  and  part  to  the  offerers,  and 
which  was  to  indicate  their  being  now 
received  into  favor  with  God,  so  as 
to  use  one  common  table  with  him.' 
Outram.  To  this  we  may  add,  that  the 
ram  was  ivholly  burnt  to  the  honor  of 
God,  in  token  of  the  dedication  of  them- 
selves wholly  to  God  and  to  his  service, 
as  living  sacrifices,  kindled  with  the 
fire  and  ascending  in  the  flame  of  holy 


182 


EXODIJS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


16  And  thou  shalt  slay  die  ram, 
and  thou  shalt  take  his  blood,  and 
sprinkle  it  round  about  upon  the 
altar. 

17  And  thou  shalt  cut  the  ram  in 
pieces,  and  AVash  the  inwards  of 
him,  and  his  legs,  and  put  them  un- 
to his  pieces,  and  unto  his  head. 

18  And  thou  shalt  burn  the  whole 
ram  upon  the  altar:  it  is  a  burnt- 
ofiering  unto  the  Lord:  it  is  a 
9  sweet  savour,  an  offering  made  by 
fire  unto  the  Lord. 

sGen.  8.  21. 

love. IT  Shall  put  their  hands  upon 

the  head,  &c.  The  general  import  of 
this  action  was  always  the  same,  viz., 
to  indicate  the  sinfulness  of  the  offer- 
ers, and  to  prefigure  the  vicarious  suf- 
ferings of  Christ,  the  Lamb  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world.  It  was 
done  on  the  present  occasion,  though  the 
ram  offered  was  a  rain  of  consecration, 
to  convey  the  same  impressive  lesson 
that  it  ordinarily  did  to  those  concerned. 
Upon  the  priests'  initiation  into  their 
office  they  were  to  be  taught  the  full 
significancy  of  the  various  sacrifices 
which  they  were  henceforth  to  be  em- 
ployed in  offering. 

16.  Shalt  take  his  blood,  and  sprinkle 
it,  &c.  As  nothing  is  said  of  any  other 
disposition  of  any  part  of  the  blood,  we 
may  suppose  it  was  all  to  be  sprinkled 
about  the  altar  ;  or,  as  others  conjec- 
ture, poured  on  the  altar  round  about, 
to  be  consumed  or  '  licked  up'  by  the 
fire  along  with  the  flesh. 

IS.  It  is  a  sweet  savor.  Heb.  TT'^ 
miT^D  reha  nihovah,  a  savor  of  rest; 
i.  e.  an  appeasing  odor,  from  its  sup- 
posed efficacy  in  quieting  and  pacify- 
ing the  divine  displeasure,  and  render- 
ing the  offerer  acceptable.  Chal.  'That 
it  may  be  received  with  favorable  ac- 
ceptation.' Gr.  en  najxr)v  ivwJjaj,  for  a 
savor  of  sweet  smell;  an  expression 
adopted  by  the  apostle,  Eph.  5.  2.  See 
Note  ©n  Gen.  8.21. 


19^ 'And  thou  shalt  take  the 
other  ram  ;  and  Aaron  and  his  sons 
shall  put  their  hands  upon  the 
head  of  the  ram. 

20  Then  shalt  thou  kill  the  ram, 
and  lake  of  his  blood,  and  put  it 
upon  the  tip  of  the  right  ear  of 
Aaron,  and  upon  the  tip  of  the 
right  ear  of  his  sons,  and  upon  the 
thumb  of  their  right  hand,  and 
upon  the  great  toe  of  their  right 
foot,  and  sprinkle  the  blood  upon 
the  altar  round  about. 

tver,  3.     Lev.  8.  22. 

The  Ram  for  a  Peace-offering. 
20.  Take  of  the  blood,  and  put  it  upon 
the  tip,  &c.  That  the  ram  now  to  be 
offered,  and  called,  v.  22,  '  the  ram  of 
consecration,'  was  truly  a  peace-offer- 
ing will  be  obvious  from  what  is  said 
in  V.  28,  32.  It  is  doubtless  called  the 
ram  of  consecration  because  there  was 
more  in  this  sacrifice  that  was  peculiar 
to  the  present  occasion  than  in  either  of 
the  others.  The  ceremonies,  therefore, 
were  more  numerous  and  significant. 
The  blood  instead  of  being  merely 
sprinkled  on  the  horns  of  the  altar.or 
effused  round  about  it,  was  shared,  as  it 
were,  between  God  and  them  ;  part  of 
it  being  sprinkled,  and  part  put  upon 
them,  upon  their  bodies,  and  upon  their 
garments.  The  parts  of  their  persons 
to  which  it  was  applied  were  no  doubt 
selected  with  a  view  to  render  the  rite 
most  replete  with  instruction  relative 
to  the  duties  of  their  station.  It  was 
intended  to  imply  that  they  ought  to 
devote  diligently  their  ears,  their  hands, 
and  their  feet,  or  in  other  words,  all 
their  faculties  of  mind  and  body,  to  the 
discharge  of  their  ministerial  office. 
By  the  blood's  being  applied  to  the  eX' 
treme  parts  of  the  body,  they  could  not 
but  understand  that  the  whole  person  in 
all  its  entireness,  from  the  tip  of  the 
ear  to  the  toe  of  the  foot,  was  to  be 
sanctified  and  set  apart  to  the  service 
of  God. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


183 


21  And  thou  shalt  take  of  the 
blood  that  is  upon  the  altar,  and 
of  u  the  anointing  oil,  and  sprinkle 
it  upon  Aaron,  and  upon  his  gar- 
ments, and  upon  his  sons,  and  upon 
the  garments  of  his  sons  with  him: 
and  whe  shall   be  hallowed,  and 


«  ch.  30.  25,  31. 
Hebr.  9.  22. 


Lev.  8.    30.     »•  ver.  1. 


21.  Upon  the  garments.  This  was 
merely  to  carry  out  in  all  its  complete- 
ness, and  in  reference  to  every  thing 
about  them,  the  significant  rite  of  the 
sprinkled  blood.  The  apostle  tells  us, 
Heb.  9.22,  that  '  almost  all  things  were 
by  the  law  purged  with  blood' ;  and  as 
the  sacred  garments  were  the  badge  of 
that  office  which  enabled  them  to  be  in- 
strumental in  sanctifying  and  purifying 
others,  it  was  manifestly  proper  that 
they  should  themselves  receive  fully 
the  sign  of  the  same  cleansing  and  con- 
secrating influence.  'We  reckon,'  says 
Henry,  'that  the  blood  and  oil,  sprinkled 
upon  garments,  spotted  and  stained 
them ;  yet  the  holy  oil  and  the  blood 
of  the  sacrifice,  sprinkled  upon  their 
garments,  must  be  looked  upon  as  the 
greatest  adorning  imaginable  to  them, 
for  they  signified  the  blood  of  Christ, 
and  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  which  con- 
stitute and  complete  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness, and  recommend  us  to  God.  We 
read  of  robes  '  made  white  with  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.' ' 

22.  The  fat  and  the  rump.  Heb. 
rr^^i^  alyah,  defined  by  Gesenius  and 
Rosenmuller  the  thick  fatty  tail  of  the 
Syrian  sheep.  Russell  in  his  Natural 
History  of  Aleppo,  p.  51,  after  observ- 

•ing  that  they  are  in  that  country  much 
more  numerous  than  those  with  smaller 
tails,  adds,  'This  tail  is  very  broad  and 
large,  terminating  in  a  small  appendix 
that  turns  back  upon  it.  It  is  of  a  sub- 
stance between  fat  and  marrow,  and  is 
not  eaten  separately,  but  mixed  with 
the  lean  meat  in  many  of  their  dishes, 
and  also  often  used  instead  of  butter. 


his  garments,  and  his  sons,  and  his 
sons'  garments  with  him. 

22  Also  thou  shalt  take  of  the 
ram  the  fat  and  the  rump,  and  the 
fat  that  covereth  the  inwards,  and 
the  caul  above  the  liver,  and  the 
two  kidneys,  and  the  fat  that  is 
upon  them,  and  the  right  shoulder: 
for  it  is  a  ram  of  consecration : 


A  common  sheep  of  this  sort,  without 
the  head,  feet,  skin,  and  entrails,  weighs 
about  twelve  or  fourteen  Aleppo  roto- 
loes  (a  rotoloe  is  five  pounds),  of  which 
the  tail  is  usually  three  rotoloes  or  up- 
wards ;  but  such  as  are  of  the  largest 
breed,  and  have  been  fattened,  will 
sometimes  weigh  above  thirty  rotoloes, 
and  the  tail  of  these  ten.  These  very 
large  sheep  being  about  Aleppo  kept 
up  in  yards,  are  in  no  danger  of  injur- 
ing their  tails :  but  in  some  other 
places,  where  they  feed  in  the  fields, 
the  shepherds  are  obliged  to  fix  a  piece 
of  thin  board  to  the  under  part  of  their 
tail,  to  prevent  its  being  torn  by  bushes 
and  thistles,  as  it  is  not  covered  under- 
neath with  thick  wool  like  the  upper 
part.  Some  have  small  wheels  to  fa- 
ciliate  the  dragging  of  this  board  after 
them.'  This  contrivance  is  at  least  as 
old  as  Herodotus,  who  expressly  men- 
tions it  (Lib.  in.c.  115.),  where,  speak- 
ing of  the  Arabian  shepherds'  manage- 
ment to  prevent  this  kind  of  sheep  from 
having  their  tails  rubbed  and  ulcerated, 
he  says,  'They  make  little  cars,  and 
fasten  one  of  these  under  the  tail  of 
each  sheep.'  The  Abbe  Mariti  in  his 
Travels  through  Cyprus  (vol.  L  p.  36.) 
confirms  this  account  of  the  extraordin- 
ary size  of  the  tails  of  some  species  of 
eastern  sheep ;  '  The  mutton  is  juicy 
and  tender.  The  tails  of  some  of  the 
sheep,  which  are  remarkably  fine,  weigh 

upwards  of  fifty  pounds.' IT  It  is  a 

ram  of  consecration.  Heb.  tD'ii%i?3  P"'5? 
i^in  ^l  milluim  hu,  it  is  a  ram  of  fill' 
ings.  Or.  cort  yap  rfXetuffis  ^vrrj,  for 
this  a  perfection.    That  is,  a  conaecrat- 


184 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


23  xAnd  one  loaf  of  bread,  and 
one  cake  of  oiled  bread,  and  one 
wafer  out  of  the  basket  of  the  un- 
leavened bread,  that  is  before  the 
Lord. 

24  And  thou  shalt  put  all  in  the 
hands  of  Aaron,  and  in  the  hands 
of  his  sons;  and  shalt  y  wave  them 
/o?'  a  wave-offering  before  the 
Lord. 

25  ^  And  thou  shalt  receive  them 
of  their  hands,  and  burn  them  upon 
the  altar  for  a  burnt-offering,  for  a 
sweet  savour  before  the  Lord:  it 
is  an  offering  made  by  fire  unto  the 
Lord. 

X  Lev.  8. 26.    y  Lev.  7.  30.     z  Lev.  8. 28. 

ing  initiation  by  which  the  incumbents 
were  perfected  in  their  official  charac- 
ter. The  sense  of  the  term  is  governed 
by  that  which  we  have  already  assigned 
to  the  root  in  our  remarks  above,  v.  9. 
Whether  it  is  implied  at  the  same  time 
that  the  hands  were  filled  with  pieces  of 
the  sacrifice,  as  an  intimation  of  their 
duties,  cannot  be  ascertained.  How- 
ever this  maybe,  the  explanation  given 
above  is  sufficient  to  account  for  the 
form  of  the  expression. 

23,  24.  And  one  loaf  of  bread,  &c. 
The  Note  on  v.  2,  of  this  chapter  will 
sufficiently  explain  the  reason  of  the 
order  respecting  the  articles  here  men- 
tioned. A-S  to  the  *  waving'  of  the 
whole  to  and  fro,  which  was  ordinarily 
done  by  the  priests'  putting  his  hand 
under  theirs,  and  then  lifting  them  first 
upwards,  and  then  round  about  in  every 
direction,  it  was  probably  intended  as  a 
significant  mode  of  dedicating  the  oifer- 
ing  to  Him  '  whose  is  the  earth  and  the 
fulness  thereof;'  who  is  the  Possessor 
of  heaven,  as  well  as  the  earth,  and 
claims  a  universal  homage.  If,  how- 
ever, we  keep  up  the  idea  of  a  mutual 
feast  in  connexion  with  the  peace-offer- 
ing, this  ceremony  of  waving  may  per- 
haps be  considered  as  a  virtual  act  of 
offering  or  presenting  a  dish  to  an  hon- 


26  And  thou  shalt  take  a  the 
breast  of  the  ram  of  Aaron's  con- 
secration, and  wave  it  for  a  wave- 
offering  before  the  Lord  :  and  b  it 
shall  be  thy  part. 

27  And  thou  shalt  sanctify  c  the 
breast  of  the  wave-offering,  and 
the  shoulder  of  the  heave-ottering, 
which  is  waved  and  which  is 
heaved  up,  of  the  ram  of  the  con- 
secration, eve7i  of  that  which  is  for 
Aaron,  and  of  that  which  is  for  his 
sons : 

28  And  it  shall  be  Aaron's  and 
his  sons'  ^  by  a  statute  for   ever, 

a  Lev.  8.29.  b  Ps.  99.  6.  c  Lev.  7.  31.  34. 
Numb.  18.  11, 18.  Deut,  18.  3.    <l  Lev.  10.  15. 

ored  guest  who  sits  at  the  table.  This 
God  could  not  do  in  person,  but  he 
would  still  have  that  kind  of  fellowship 
recognised,  and  he  made  the  altar  his 
substitute  for  devouring  his  part  of  the 
sacrifice.  The  Gr.  renders  by  a(poptsts, 
thou  shalt  separate,  and  Paul  uses  this 
term  in  speaking  of  his  designation  to 
the  ministry,  Rom.  1.  1,  as  if  he  had 
been  made  in  that  office  a  kind  of  wauc- 

offering  to  the  Lord. IT  Shalt  wave 

them  for  a  ivave-offering.  Heb.  n&2n 
nOISn  Dns^  henaphta  otham  tenuphah, 
thou  shalt  wave  them  a  waving.  The 
original  root  &1D  nuph  signifies  prop- 
erly to  shake,  agitate,  move  to  and  fro, 
or  up  and  down. 

25.  Burn  them  upon  the  altar  for  i 
burnt-offering.  Although  it  is  un- 
doubted that  this  was  not  a  whole 
burnt-offering,  but  a  peace-olfering,  yet 
as  some  of  it  was  burnt  on  the  altar, 
that  part  of  it  is  called  a  burnt-offer- 
ing. Compare  Lev.  3.  5,  where  all  that 
was  to  be  burnt  of  the  peace-offerings 
is  commanded  to  be  '  burnt  upon  the 
burnt  sacrifice,'  in  reference  to  which 
act  it  might  very  properly  be  called  a 
burnt-offering. 

26  —  28.  And  thou  shalt  take  the 
breast,  &c.  These  three  verses  are 
probably  to  be  regarded  as  a  parenthe- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


18$ 


from  the  children  of  Israel :  for  it 
is  an  heave-offering :  and  «  it  shall 
be  an  heave-offering  from,  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  of  the  sacrifice  of 
their  peace-offerings,  even  their 
heave-offering  unto  the  Lord. 
29  ^And  the  holy  garments  of 
Aaron  f  shall  be  his  sons'  after  him, 
g  to  be  anointed  therein,  and  to  be 
consecrated  in  them. 

e  Lev.  7.  34.    f  Numb.  20.  26, 28.    S  Numb. 
18.  8.  &  35.  25. 

sis  fixing  the  law  for  all  future  time, 
in  relation  to  the  priests'  part  of  the 
peace-offering,  viz.,  the  breast  and 
shoulder.  It  is  true,  that  on  the  pres- 
ent occasion  these  were  divided,  and 
the  shoulder  burnt  on  the  altar  with 
God's  part,  v.  22,  but  ever  after  they 
were  both  to  go  together  as  the  allotted 
portion  of  the  priests.  This,  if  we 
may  admit  the  suggestion  of  Ains- 
worth,  was  intended  to  intimate  to 
them  '  how  with  all  their  heart,  and 
with  all  their  strength,  they  should 
give  themselves  unto  the  service  of  the 
Lord  in  his  church.'  As  to  the  pre- 
cise distinction  between  wave-offering 
(nSl^n  tenuphah)  and  heave-offering 
(rDDTnri  temmah),  it  is  not  easy  to 
ascertain  it,  as  we  are  furnished  with 
no  clue  in  the  original,  except  what  we 
find  in  the  import  of  the  terms ;  of 
which  we  may  say  in  general  that  the 
former  more  properly  denotes  hori- 
zontal and  the  latter  perpendicular 
motion.  This  fact  has  led  Houbigant 
and  some  others  to  imagine  that  by 
this  twofold  movement  in  the  act  of 
oblation  we  are  to  recognise  a  dim  and 
shadowy  figure  of  the  cross,  on  which 
the  great  Peace-offering  between  God 
and  man  was  offered,  in  the  person  of 
the  blessed  Redeemer.  But  as  this 
conjecture  rests  upon  no  positive  au- 
thority, we  build  nothing  upon  it,  leav- 
ing the  reader  to  deduce  his  own  infer- 
ences from  the  etymology  of  the  words. 
29,  30.  And  the  holy  garments  of 
16* 


30  And  h  that  son  that  is  priest  in 
his  stead  shall  put  them  on  i  seven 
days,  when  he  cometh  into  the  ta- 
bernacle of  the  congregation  to 
minister  in  the  holy  place. 

31  H  And  thou  shalt  take  the  ram 
of  the  consecration,  and  it  seethe 
his  flesh  in  the  holy  place. 

32  And  Aaron  and  his  sons  shall 
eat  the  flesh  of  the  ram,  and  the 

hNumb.  20.  28.  iLev.  8.  35.  &  9.  1,  8. 
k  Lev.  8.  31. 


Aaron  shall  be,  &c.  Another  general 
law  is  here  given,  viz.,  that  all  the  suc- 
cessors of  Aaron  in  the  high  priest- 
hood should  be  set  apart  to  the  office 
in  the  same  garments,  by  the  same 
unction,  and,  as  we  learn  from  v.  36, 
with  the  same  sacrifices,  as  those  which 
were  prescribed  on  the  present  occa- 
sion. Accordingly  it  is  said,  Num.  20. 
28,  'And  Moses  stripped  Aaron  of  his 
garments,  and  put  them  upon  Eleazer 
his  son ;  and  Aaron  died  there  in  the 
top  of  the  mount.'  For  seven  successive 
days  was  the  high  priest  to  be  robed  ia 
these  sacred  vestments,  and  during  that 
time  to  abide  without  intermission  at 
the  door  of  the  tabernacle  '  keeping  the 
charge  of  the  Lord,'  Lev.  8.  35?  As 
the  number  seven  is  the  Scripture  num- 
ber of  perfection,  and  is  often  used  to 
denote  the  completion,  consummation, 
or  fulness  of  any  thing,  so  the  act  of 
consecration  was  to  last  seven  days 
that  it  might  signify  a  perfect  conse- 
cration, and  to  intimate  to  the  priest 
that  his  whole  life  was  to  be  devoted  to 
his  ministry.  It  afforded  the  oppor- 
tunity also  for  one  Sabbath  to  pass  over 
him  in  his  consecration,  in  reference  to 
which  the  Jewish  writers  say,  '  Great 
is  the  Sabbath  day ;  for  the  high  priest 
entereth  not  upon  his  service,  after  he 
is  anointed,  till  the  Sabbath  pass  over 
him,  as  it  is  written,  Ex.  29.  30,  'Seven 
days  shall  he  that  is  priest,'  &c. 

31,32.  Seethe  his  flesh  in  the  holy 
place.    That  is,  boil  his  flesh,  in  order 


186 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


1  bread  that  is  in  the  basket,  by  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  con- 
gregation. 

33  And  mthey  shall  eat  those 
things  wherewith  the  atonement 
was  made,  to  consecrate  and  to 
sanctify  them:  nbut  a  stranger 
shall  not  eat  thereof,  because  they 
are  holy. 

34  And  if  aught  of  the  flesh  of 
the  consecrations,  or  of  the  bread, 
remain  unto  the  morning,  then 
o  thou  shalt  burn   the   remainder 

iMatt.  12.  4.  m  Lev.  10.  14,  15,  17.  nLev. 
22.10.    oLev.  8.  32. 

to  render  it  edible.  The  phrase  '  holy 
place'  is  here  used  in  a  wider  sense 
than  ordinary.  The  next  verse  shows 
that  it  means  the  outer  court  of  the 
sanctuary  near  the  door.  This  is  still 
more  expressly  affirmed  Lev.  8.  31. 
This  requisition  as  to  the  place  of  eat- 
ing was  peculiar  to  the  present  occa- 
sion. In  ordinary  cases  the  allotted 
parts  of  the  peace-offering  might  be 
taken  home  and  there  eaten  by  the 
offerers  and  their  families,  but  this  was 
to  be  eaten  in  God's  own  house,  as  it 
were,  wher-e  his  ministers  officiated  and 
neither  sons  nor  daughters  could  share 
with  them  in  it. 

33.  A  stranger  shall  not  eat  thereof 
because  they  are  holy.  Heb.  llHlp  ^^ 
tn  ki  kodesh  hem,  because  they  are 
holiness;  i.  e.  the  bread  and  meats. 
Or  the  pronoun  '  they'  may  refer  to 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  who  are  called 
holy  because  they  were  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  God.  '  Stranger'  here 
signifies  one  that  is  not  of  the  family  of 
Aaron.  Holy  things  for  holy  men  was 
the  motto  of  the  Levitical  economy. 

36.  For  atonement.  Heb.Q-i^iJ^n  ^5> 
al  hakkippurim,\i\.  for  expiations,  pro- 
pitiations,  reconciliations;  meaning  for 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  and  the  altar. 
The  original  term  implies  both  the  pa- 
cification of  God's  wrath  on  account  of 
sin,  and  the  merciful  covering  of  trans- 


with  fire:  it  shall  not  be  eaten, be- 
cause it  is  holy. 

35  And  thus  shalt  thou  do  unto 
Aaron,  and  to  his  sons,  according 
to  all  things  which  I  have  com- 
manded thee:  p seven  days  shalt 
thou  consecrate  them. 

36  And  thou  shalt  q  offer  every 
day  a  bullock /or  a  sin-offering  for 
atonement ;  and  thou  shalt  cleanse 
the  altar,  when  thou  hast  made  an 
atonement  for  it,  r  and  thou  shalt 
anoint  it,  to  sanctify  it. 

P  Exod.  40.  12.  Lev.  8.  33,  34,  35.  q  Hebr. 
10.11.     rch.  30.  26.  28,  29.  &  40.  10. 


gression,  which  enter  so  essentially  in- 
to the  idea  oi  atonement.     See  Note  on 

Gen.  32.  20. IT  Thou  shalt  cleanse 

the  altar.  Heb.  tiKtsn  hittctha.  Le- 
clerc  well  remarks  that  this  word  in 
Piel  wlien  spoken  of  persoJis  signifies 
to  expiate,  to  atone  for,  but  when  ap- 
plied to  things  to  purge,  cleanse,  puri- 
fy, as  liere.  Gr.  KaQapieis^  thou  shalt 
purify.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that 
this  period  of  seven  days  allotted  to 
the  consecration  of  the  altar  was  dis- 
tinct from  the  seven  days  of  consecrat- 
ing the  priests,  or  that  the  atonements 
in  the  one  case  were  different  from 
those  in  the  other.  They  were  in  fact 
one  and  the  same.  The  atoning  virtue 
of  the  sacrifices  applied  itself  at  the 
same  time  both  to  the  persons  sanc- 
tified and  to  the  altar.  The  phrase 
'  when  thou  hast  made  atonement  for 
it,'  should  rather  be  rendered  '  when 
thou  hast  made  an  atonement  v/)on  it,' 
and  the  meaning  is,  that  during  all  the 
time  in  which  they  were  engaged  from 
day  to  day  in  offering  the  prescribed 
sacrifices,  they  were  to  be  careful  to 
keep  the  altar  duly  cleansed,  to  have 
the  ashes  removed,  and  the  unction  ap- 
plied to  it,  so  that  at  the  end  of  the 
time  it  should  be  an  altar  duly  conse- 
crated, like  those  who  had  been  minis- 
tering at  it,  so  that  henceforth  it  should 
be  so  preeminently  holy  as  to  confer  a 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


187 


37  Seven  days  thou  shall  make 
an  atonement  for  the  altar,  and 
sanctify  it ;  » and  it  shall  be  an  al- 
tar most  holy :  t  whatsoever  touch- 
eih  the  altar  shall  be  holy. 

38  *[[  Now  this  ts  that  which  thou 
shalt  offer  upon  the  altar;  "two 
iambs  of  the  first  year  w  day  by 
day  continually. 

39  The  one  lamb  thou  shalt  offer 
■*in  the  morning:  and  the  other 
Iamb  thou  shalt  offer  at  even:   - 

sell.  40.  10.  tch.  30.  29.  Matt.  23,  19. 
'JNunib.  28.  3.  1  Chron.  16.  40. 2  Cliroii.  2.  4.  & 
13.  11.  &31.3.  Ezras.  3.  "' See  Dan.  9.27.  A: 
12.  11.   X  2  Kings  16.  15.  Ezek.  46.  13,  14, 15. 

relative  holiness  upon  the  gifts  laid  up- 
on it.  'Whatsoever  toucheth  it  shall  | 
be  holy,'  upon  which  our  Savior's  brief 
and  pithy  comment  is,  'The  altar  sanc- 
tifieth  the  gift.'  Like  a  magnetized  bar 
of  iron  or  steel,  it  was  first  to  receive  it- 
self a  sanctifying  influence  from  the 
oblations  presented  upon  it,  and  then 
for  ever  after  to  impart  it. 

Laiv  of  the  Daily  Offering. 
38 — 44.  This  is  that  ivhich  thou  shalt 
offer,  &c.  Two  lambs  of  the  first  year 
were  to  be  offered  daily,  the  one  in  the 
morning,  the  other  in  the  afternoon,  for 
a  burnt-offering.  These  were  generally 
termed  the  morning  and  evening  daily 
sacrifice,  and  were  never  on  any  ac- 
count to  be  intermitted.  Other  ad- 
ditional sacrifices  were  appointed  for 
Sabbaths  and  festivals  on  various  occa- 
sions, but  they  v.'ere  never  to  be  allow- 
ed to  displace,  supersede,  or  interfere 
with  this  stated  and  constant  offering, 
which  was  binding  in  its  observance  in- 
asmuch as  it  typified  the  never-ceasing 
necessity  and  efficacy  of  the  atonement 
made  by  the  'Lamb  of  God  which  tak- 
eth  away  the  sins  of  the  world.'  It 
conveyed  also  to  the  people  of  God  of 
that  age  and  of  every  age  a  significant 
intimation  of  the  duty  of  daily  morning 
and  evening  worship.  As  regularly  as 
the  sun  rises  and  declines  in  his  daily 


40  And  with  the  one  lamb  a  tenth- 
deal  of  flour  mingled  with  the 
fourth  part  of  an  hin  of  beaten  oil: 
and  the  fourth  part  of  an  hin  of 
wine /or  a  drink-oft ering. 

41  And  the  other  lamb  thou  shalt 
y  offer  at  even,  and  shalt  do  thereto 
according  to  the  meat-offering  of 
the  morning,  and  according  to  the 
drink-offering  thereof,  for  a  sweet 
savour,  an  offering  made  by  fire 
unto  the  Lord. 

42  This  shall  be^di  continual  burnt- 

y  1  Kings  18.  29,  36.  2  Kings  16.  15. 
Ezra  9.  4,  5.  Ps.  141.  2.  Dan.  9.  21.  z  ver. 
38.  ch.  30.  8.  Numb.  28. 6.  Dan.  8.  11,  12,  13. 

round,  the  spiritual  sacrifices  of  prayer 
and  praise  are  to  be  offered  upon  the 
altar  of  our  domestic  or  private  devo- 
tion ;  and  not  only  should  no  business 
be  suffered  to  jostle  them  out  of  their 
appropriate  seasons,  but  they  should  be 
regarded  as  a  sacred  feast  to  the  soul, 
for  v.'hich  we  should  long  as  earnestly 
as  for  the  food  that  sustains  our  bodies. 
It  was  probably  with  a  view  to  render 
this  idea  more  familiar  to  their  minds 
that  the  several  particulars  requisite 
to  a  feast  accompanied  the  sacrifice. 
Bread  and  wine  for  a  meat  and  drink- 
offering  formed  a  part  of  the  command- 
ed oblation,  as  a  continual  remembrance 
of  the  privilege  of  fellowship  and  com- 
munion with  God  to  which  they  are  ad- 
mitted. The  word  rendered  tenth-deal 
('^I'lrS'  issaron)  means  a  tenth  of  an 
ephah,  or  about  three  quarts  wine- 
measure,  being  the  same  as  an  omer 
A  hin  contained  a  gallon  and  two  pints  ; 
the  fourth  part  of  this  was  consequently 
about  one  quart  and  a  quarter  of  a  pint 

wine-measure. U   Where  I  will  meet 

you  (pi.)  to  speak  there  unto  thee  (sing.) 
As  if  he  spake  unto  all  the  congregation 
w^hen  he  spake  to  Moses,  their  repre- 
sentative. Yet  as  if  this  might  appear 
to  indicate  something  unduly  exclusive 
— a  privilege  vouchsafed  to  Moses  but 
denied  to  them — he  gives  the  assur- 
ance in  the  next  verse  in  the  most  uni 


188 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


offering  throughout  your  genera- 
tions at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle 
of  the  congregation  before  the 
Lord:  a -where  I  will  meet  you  to 
speak  there  unto  thee. 
43  And  there  I  will  meet  with 
the  children  of  Israel;  and  the  ta- 
bernacle b  shall  be  sanctified  by  my 
glory. 

a  ch.  25.  22.  &  30.  6,  36.  Numb.17.  4.  b  ch. 
40.  34.  1  Kings  8.  11.  2  Chron.  5.  14.  &  7. 
1,2,3.    Ezek.43.5.    Hag.  2.  7,  9.   Mai.  3.  1. 

versal  terms — *  There  I  will  meet  with 
the  children  of  Israel ;'  with  all  of 
them ;  they  shall  all  have  the  benefit 
of  this  high  distinction.  Chal.  'And 
I  will  appoint  my  Word  unto  you,  that 
he  may  speak  with  you  there.'  This 
promise  is  still  farther  amplified  in 
what  follows  ;  'And  the  tabernacle  shall 
be  sanctified  by  my  glory.'  Heb.  'iI31p!3 
'iliSD  nikdash  hikhodi;  where  the  verb 
has  no  specific  nominative,  leaving  us 
to  understand  the  expression  in  its 
largest  sense,  as  implying  that  every 
thing,  people,  tabernacle,  altar,  and 
priesthood,  should  be  illustriously  hal- 
lowed by  the  glory  of  the  divine  pre- 
sence, the  visible  symbol  of  which  was 
to  be  seen  in  the  Shekinah  enthroned 
in  the  Most  Holy  Place.  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  the  marginal  reading  of  the 
English  Bible  is,  ^Israel  shall  be  sanc- 
tified.' This  is  very  admissible  gram- 
matically, and  is  no  doubt  favored  by 
the  parallel  promise,  Ezek.  37.  28,  to 
which  the  present  has  clearly  an  ul- 
timate or  typical  reference,  'And  the 
heathen  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord  do 
sanctify  Israel,  when  my  sanctuary  shall 
be  in  the  midst  of  them  for  evermore.' 
As  the  glory  of  God  is  in  a  great  meas- 
ure identified  with  his  tabernacle  in 
which  it  dwelt,  the  sanctifying  virtue  of 
the  one  was  that  of  the  other,  so  that  the 
two  passages  are  plainly  of  kindred  im- 
port. But  this  interpretation  makes  no 
less  true  or  pertinent  the  remark  of  Hen- 
ry, that '  what  is  sanctified  to  the  glory 
of  God,  shall  be  sanctified  by  his  glory.' 


44  And  I  will  sanctify  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation,  and  the 
altar:  I  will  c sanctify  also  both 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  to  minister  to 
me  in  the  priest's  office. 

45  And  d  I  will  dwell  among  the 
children  of  Israel,  and  will  be  their 
God. 


c  Lev.  21.  15.  &  22.  9,  16.  d  Exod.  25.  8. 
Lev.  26.  12.  Zech.  2.  10.  John  14.  17,  23. 
2  Cor.  6.  16.   Rev.  21.  3. 


45.  And  I  will  dwell  among  the  chil- 
dren  of  Israel,  &c.  Heb.  'iDSiffil  ve- 
shakanti,  and  I  icill  tabernacle.  Chal. 
'  I  will  make  my  majesty  C^ri^ilZJ  she- 
kinti,  my  shekinah)  to  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  the  children  of  Israel.'  The 
'Shekinah'  here  is  the  same  as  the 
Word  of  V.  42,  according  to  the  same 
version.  On  the  peculiar  force  of  this 
word  and  its  etymological  relations, 
see  Note  on  Ex.  25.  8,  where  we  have 
expounded  at  some  length  what  we 
conceive  to  be  the  genuine  import  of 
this  promise.  Its  primary  fulfilment 
was  the  grand  central  fact  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Jewish  people  for  century 
after  century,  as  long  as  their  national 
polity  continued  To  this  peculiar  in- 
dwelling among  the  chosen  race  the 
tabernacle  and  the  temple  were  entirely 
subservient.  They  Avere  each  in  its 
turn  the  palace  of  the  Great  King.  It 
was  not  simply  a  spiritual  but  a  sensi' 
ble  residence  of  the  Deity,  which  hal- 
lowed those  sacred  structures.  That 
this  mode  of  habitation  and  manifesta- 
tion was  indeed  typical  of  a  future  in- 
dwelling of  God  by  his  enlightening 
Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  men,  cannot  be 
questioned.  It  is  a  view  of  the  subject 
expressly  recognised  by  the  apostle, 
2  Cor.  6.  16,  'For  ye  are  the  temple  of 
the  living  God ;  as  God  hath  said,  I 
will  dwell  in  them  and  walk  in  them  ; 
and  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall 
be  my  people.'  But  nothing  is  clearer 
from  the  prophecies,  than  that  this  form 
of  fulfilment  does  not  exhaust  the  rich 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


189 


46  And  they  shall  know  that  e  I 
am  the  Lord  their  God,  that  brought 

e  ch.  20.  2. 


purport  of  the  promise.  It  is  a  promise 
no  less  made  to  Israel  in  their  future 
restoration,  than  at  their  original  adop- 
tion; and  in  that  relation  is  no  less 
literally  to  be  understood,  though  far 
more  gloriously,  than  in  the  present  an- 
nunciation. So  far  as  we  are  able  to  see, 
the  literal  restoration  and  return  of  the 
Jews  are  assured  to  us  by  no  other 
principles  of  interpretation,  than  those 
which  require  us  to  admit  the  literal 
return  and  re-establishment  of  the  mani- 
fested glory  of  Jehovah,  the  true  Sheki- 
nah,  in  visible  communication  with  the 
children  of  men  on  earth.  Let  the  fol- 
lowing passages,  for  instance,  be  taken 
as  a  specimen:  Zech.  2. 10 — 12,  'Sing 
and  rejoice,  0  daughter  of  Zion  :  for  lo, 
I  come  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst 
of  thee  C^niDljlD  shakanti),  saith  the 
Lord.  And  many  nations  shall  be  join- 
ed to  the  Lord  in  that  day,  and  shall  be 
my  people:  and  I  will  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  thee  (*inD5lZ3  shakanti),  and 
thou  shall  know  that  the  Lord  of  hosts 
hath  sent  me  unto  thee.  And  the  Lord 
shall  inherit  Judah  his  portion  in  the 
holy  land,  and  shall  choose  Jerusalem 
again.'  Ezek.  37.  21—28,  'And  say  un- 
unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  ; 
Behold,  I  will  take  the  children  of  Is- 
rael from  among  the  heathen,  whither 
they  be  gone,  and  will  gather  them  on 
every  side,  and  bring  them  into  their 
own  land :  And  I  will  make  them  one 
nation  in  the  land  upon  the  mountains 
of  Israel ;  and  one  king  shall  be  king  to 
them  all :  and  they  shall  be  no  more 
two  nations,  neither  shall  they  be  di- 
vided into  two  kingdoms  any  more  at 
all :  Neither  shall  they  defile  themselves 
any  more  with  their  idols,  nor  with 
their  detestable  things,  nor  with  any  of 
their  transgressions ;  but  I  will  save 
them  out  of  all  their  dwelling-places, 
wherein    they  have    sinned,  and    will 


them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
that  I  may  dwell  among  them:  I 
am  the  Lord  their  God. 

cleanse  them :  so  shall  they  be  my 
people,  and  I  will  be  their  God.  And 
David  my  servant  shall  be  king  over 
them ;  and  they  all  shall  have  one 
shepherd :  they  shall  also  walk  in  my 
judgments,  and  observe  my  statutes, 
and  do  them.  And  they  shall  dwell  in 
the  land  that  I  have  given  unto  Jacob 
my  servant,  wherein  your  fathers  have 
dwelt,  and  they  shall  dwell  therein, 
even  they,  and  their  children,  and  their 
children's  children  for  ever:  and  my 
servant  David  shall  be  their  prince  for 
ever.  Moreover  I  will  make  a  covenant 
of  peace  with  them ;  it  shall  be  an  ever- 
lasting covenant  with  them  ;  and  I  will 
place  them,  and  multiply  them,  and 
will  set  my  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of 
them  for  evermore.  My  tabernacle 
CpTliJZ  mishkan)  also  shall  he  with 
them:  yea,  I  will  he  their  God,  and 
they  shall  he  my  people.  And  the 
heathen  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord  do 
sanctify  Israel,  when  my  sanctuary 
shall  be  in  the  midst  of  them  for  ever- 
more.^ We  have  given  this  extract  at  full 
length,  because  there  is  scarcely  in  the 
whole  compass  of  the  Scriptures  a  more 
direct  and  unequivocal  prediction  of  the 
literal  return  of  the  Jews  to  their  own 
land,  than  is  to  be  found  in  these  words. 
That  it  is  a  return  yet  future  is  clear  from 
the  fact ;  (1.)  That  the  two  grand  divi- 
sions of  the  nation,  the  houses  of  Judah 
and  Israel,  are  both  to  be  restored,  which 
it  is  well  known  was  not  the  case  at  the 
return  from  Babylon.  No  past  period  can 
be  assigned  when  this  prediction  can  be 
fairly  said  to  have  been  fulfilled.  (2.) 
They  are  to  be  gathered  imder  the  head- 
ship of  'David  their  king,'  which  is  un- 
doubtedly the  mystical  denomination 
of  the  Messiah.  He  is  probably  here 
called  'David'  more  especially  because 
he  shall  reign  over  the  two  united  na- 
tions of  Judah  and  Israel,  as  did  the 


190 


EXODUS. 


fB.  C.  1451. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

AND  thou  shalt  make  a  an  altar 
b  lo  burn  incense  upon :  o/shit- 
tim-wood  shalt  thou  make  it. 

ach.  37.  25.  &  40.  5.    b  See  ver.  7.  8,  10. 
Lev.  4.  7, 18.    Rev.  8.  3. 

literal  David  before  the  kingdom  was 
divided.  That  Christ  will  ever  rule  over 
his  people  by  this  title  in  any  other 
world  than  the  present,  we  can  gather 
no  evidence  fronn  the  Scriptures.  Ac- 
cordingly Newcome  remarks  upon  the 
passage,  that  '  it  favors  the  supposition 
that  Christ  will  hereafter  assume  royal 
state  on  earth  among  the  converted 
Jews.'  (3.)  It  is  said,  V.  25,  ^They  shall 
dwell  therein,  even  they,  and  their  chil- 
dren, and  their  children's  children, /or 
ever}  and  my  servant  David  shall  be 
their  prince  for  ever.'  Even  though 
this  language  should  be  taken  to  mean 
something  short  of  absolute  eternity, 
yet  it  is  clear  that  it  has  never  yet  been 
fulfilled.  Consequently  its  fulfilment  is 
still  future  ;  and  we  are  utterly  unable 
to  see  why  it  is  not  quite  as  certain  that 
the  visible  glory  will  be  restored  to  the 
land  of  promise  as  that  the  chosen  peo- 
ple will.  If  further  evidence  of  this  be 
necessary  we  find  it  in  Ezek.  43,  1 — 4, 
which  is  a  prediction  having  respect  to 
the  destinies  of  the  Jewish  race  in  the 
latter  day,  after  their  re-establishment 
in  the  land  of  their  fathers  ;  <  Afterward 
he  brought  me  to  the  gate,  even  the  gate 
that  looketh  toward  the  east :  And  be- 
hold, the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel 
came  from  the  way  of  the  east :  and 
his  voice  was  like  a  noise  of  many 
waters:  and  the  earth  shined  with  his 
glory.  And  it  was  according  to  the 
appearance  of  the  vision  which  I  saw, 
even  according  to  the  vision  that  I  saw 
when  I  came  to  destroy  the  city:  and 
the  visions  were  like  the  visions  that  I 
saw  by  the  river  Chebar  ;  and  I  fell 
upon  my  face.  And  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  came  into  the  house  by  the  way 
of  the  gate  whose  prospect  is  toward 


2  A  cubit  shall  be  the  length 
thereof,  and  a  cubit  the  breadth 
thereof;  four-square  shall  it  be; 
and  two  cubits  shall  ce  the  height 
thereof:  the  horns  thereof  shall  be 
of  the  same. 


the  east.'  This  is  no  other,  as  will  ap- 
pear upon  strict  examination,  than  the 
glory  of  the  Shekinah  which  dwelt  be- 
tween the  Cherubim  in  the  Temple,  and 
which  on  account  of  the  sins  of  the  na- 
tion had  forsaken  its  ancient  dwelling- 
place,  Ezek.  10.  18 — ^20,  but  which  is 
here  announced  as  again  returning  to 
its  vacated  habitation.  This  glory, 
however,  will  be  the  glory  of  the  per- 
son of  Christ,  in  whom  the  shadow  of 
the  Shekinah  is  turned  into  substance. 
It  is  this  which  constitutes  the  criterion 
of  identity  between  the  prophetic  Jeru- 
salem of  Ezekiel  and  that  of  John  in 
the  Apocalypse ;  '  And  he  showed  mc 
that  great  city  the  holy  Jerusalem,  de- 
scending out  of  heaven  from  God,  hav' 
ing  the  glory  of  God.'  But  in  regard 
to  this  sublime  annunciation  we  must 
for  the  present  rest  contented  with  the 
simple  fact  assured  to  us.  The  man- 
ner of  its  accomplishment  is  hidden  by 
a  vail  which  only  the  developements  of 
time  and  providence  can  remove. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE   ALTAR   OF  INCENSE. 

1,  2.  Thou  shalt  make  an  altar  to 
hurndncense  upon.  Heb.  ^t0p>2  P!2\)2 
n^tSp  mizbeah  miktar  ketoreth,  an  in- 
cense-altar of  incense;  or,  an  altar,  a 
perfumatory  of  perfume.  Gr.  dvaiaar- 
ripiov  OvjitajAaTo?,  an  altar  of  incense. 
Chal.  'Thou  shalt  make  an  altar  to  of- 
fer upon  it  incense  of  sweet  spices.' 
The  original  implies  an  altar  on  which 
odorous  substances  were  to  be  burnt 
and  resolved  into  a  fragrant  and  grate- 
ful fume.  In  the  subsequent  account 
of  its  construction,  Ex.  37.  25,  it  is 
called  simply  an  '  altar  of  incense,'  as 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


191 


3  And  thou  shall  overlay  it  with  j  horns  thereof ;  and  thou  shall  make 
pure  gold,  the  top  thereof,  and  the  !  unto  it  a  crown  of  gold  round  about, 
sides  thereof  round  about,  and  the  j 


rendered  by  the  Greek  here,  and  in 
Num.4.  11,  '  tlie  golden  altar,'  as  the 
other  covered  with  brass  was  called 
'  the  brazen  altar.'  But  as  the  Hebrew 
term  i'or  altar  (nDT>2  mizbeah,  from  'n'Zl 
zabah,  to  slay),  legitimately  carries 
with  it  the  idea  of  slain  sacrifices,  and 
as  no  such  service  was  performed  upon 
this,  it  is  for  distinction  sake  termed 
1'i^pJ2  miktar,  from  TCp  katar,  to 
fume,  to  fumigate,  to  make  to  smoke. 
The  practice  of  burning  incense  upon 
altars  as  a  religious  rite  is  to  be  traced 
to  a  very  remote  antiquity  ;  but  we 
have  nothing  more  ancient  in  the  way 
of  historic  record  relative  to  this  cus- 
tom than  what  the  present  chapter  con- 
tains. It  seems  scarcely  probable,  how- 
ever, that  the  custom  originated  on  this 
occasion  in  the  order  here  prescribed. 
Incense  altars  appear  in  the  most  anci- 
ent Egyptian  paintings,  and  when  it 
was  required  to  be  compounded  '  after 
the  art  of  the  apothecary  (perfumer),' 
it  would  seem  to  be  implied  that  this 
was  an  art  which  was  practised,  and 
which  the  Israelites  had  learned,  in 
Egypt.  Plutarch  moreover  assures  us, 
that  the  Egyptians  offered  incense  to 
the  sun — resin  in  the  morning,  myrrh 
at  noon,  and  about  sunset  an  aromatic 
compound  which  they  called  kypi.  But 
the  custom  was  in  ancient  times  by  no 
means  confined  to  Egypt.  It  pervaded 
all  the  religions  of  antiquity,  and  like 
many  other  features  of  the  Hebrew  wor- 
ship may  have  been  derived  from  an 
antediluvian  origin.  Nor  are  we  dis- 
posed to  overlook  the  circumstance  in 
this  connexion  of  incense  being  burnt 
among  the  Orientals  by  way  of  honor- 
ary tribute  to  kings,  princes,  and  per- 
sons of  distinction.  It  is  one  of  the 
usages  peculiar  to  palaces,  and  the 
houses  of  the  wealthy  and  great,  and 
as  God  in  the  character  of  Theocratic 


Ruler  of  Israel  saw  fit  to  be  honored  in 
modes  analogous  to  those  which  were 
common  in  reference  to  eastern  sove- 
reigns, so  he  would  not  have  his  palace, 
the  Sanctuary,  to  be  lacking  in  a  usage 
of  such  striking  significancy.  But  we 
shall  hope  to  evince  in  the  sequel  that 
this  came  far  short  of  fulfilling  all  the 
symbolical  purposes  which  were  an- 
swered by  this  remarkable  portion  of 
the  furniture  of  the  Tabernacle.  Of 
the  remark  of  Maimonides  that  incense 
was  burnt  in  the  Tabernacle  to  counter- 
act the  offensive  smell  of  the  sacrifices, 
we  can  only  say,  that  although  this 
may  have  been  to  a  very  limitted  de- 
gree the  effect  of  the  ordinance,  it  fell 
altogether  short  of  being  its  main  ob- 
ject. As  to  its  materials  and  form 
this  Altar  was  made  like  the  Ark  of 
shittim-wood  overlaid  with  plates  of 
gold.  "When  it  is  said  to  have  been 
'  four-square,'  the  meaning  is,  not  that 
it  was,  as  a  whole,  of  a  cubical  form, 
but  that  upon  its  upper  and  under  sur- 
face it  showed  four  equal  sides.  It  was, 
however,  twice  as  high  as  it  was  broad, 
being  twenty-one  inches  broad,  and  three 
feet  six  inches  high.  From  the  four 
corner  posts  arose  four  horns  or  pinna- 
cles, doubtless  of  similar  form  to  those 
of  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  which  were 
covered  with  gold  like  the  rest,  and  its 
top  was  surrounded  with  an  ornamental 
ledge  or  border  of  solid  gold,  here  call- 
ed '  a  crown,'  like  that  which  adorned 
the  upper  edges  of  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  and  of  the  Table  of  Shew- 
bread.  Beneath  this  were  placed  two 
golden  rings,  probably  on  the  opposite 
corners,  for  the  conveniency  of  carry- 
ing it  on  staves  during  the  marches  of 
Israel  in  the  wilderness,  and  after- 
wards when  removed  to  different  places 
in  Canaan. 
3.  The  top  thereof.  Heb.  13!!  gaggo,  his 


192 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


roof;  implying  that  its  top  was  fashion- 
ed like  the  flat  roofs  of  eastern  houses. 
These  were  furnished  with  parapets, 
battlements,  or  balustrades,  to  which 
the  border  or  crown  of  the  altar  bore, 
on  a  small  scale,  a  striking  resem- 
blance. The  rendering  of  the  Gr.  t-ff;^(ijjai', 
hearth,  and  the  Lat.  Vulg.  'Craticula' 
grate,  is  entirely  erroneous,  as  the  orig- 
inal word  is  different  from  that  applied 
to  the  grate  of  the  brazen  altar  (^IIlD^D 


mikbar),  and  there  is  not  the  least 
mention  made  of  cleansing  the  Altar 
from  ashes,  or  of  any  thing  to  receive 
them.  The  mcense  was  not  burnt  upon 
a  grate,  but  in  a  golden  censer  which 
was  placed,  filled  with  coals,  upon  the 
Altar,  so  that  no  ashes  or  refuse  what- 
ever fell  upon  the  Altar. IT   The 

sides  thereof.  Heb.  I'^D'Tip  kirothauv, 
?us  walls;  in  continued  analogy  with 
the  structure  of  a  house. 


The  Altar  of  Incense. 


The  mystical  design  of  the  Altar  of  In- 
cense now  demands  attention.  Its  pri- 
mary use  is  sufficiently  evident  from  its 
name,  and  from  what  is  said  in  the  sub- 
sequent verses.  As  the  Table  was 
for  the  Bread,  the  Candlestick  for  the 
Lights,  and  the  brazen  Altar  for  the  Sa- 
crifices, so  the  golden  Altar  was  for  the 
Incense  which  was  to  be  burnt  upon  it. 
Now  that  the  general  import  o{  incense 
as  a  symbol  was  that  o{ prayer,  cannot 
be  questioned  by  any  one  who  casts  his 
eye  over  the  following  passages ;  Ps. 
141.  2,  'Let  my  prayer  be  set  forth  be- 
fore thee  (as)  incense;  and  the  lifting 
up  of  my  hands  as  the  evening  sacri- 
fice. Rev.  5.  8,  'And  when  he  had 
taken  the  book,  the  four  beasts  and  four 
and  twenty  elders  fell  down  before  the 
Lamb,  having  every  one  of  them  lamps 
and  golden  vials  full  of  odors,  which 


are  the  prayers  of  saints.^  Again,  Rev. 
8.  3,  4,  'And  another  angel  came  and 
stood  at  the  altar,  having  a  golden 
censer ;  and  there  was  given  unto  him 
much  incense,  that  he  should  offer  it 
with  the  prayers  of  all  sairits  upon 
the  golden  altar  which  was  before  the 
throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the  incense, 
which  came  with  the  prayers  of  the 
saints,  ascended  up  before  God  out  of 
the  angel's  hand.'  Here  it  is  evidently  * 
implied  that  while  the  sacerdotal  angel 
was  officiating  at  the  golden  Altar,  the 
saints  were  to  be  at  the  same  time 
engaged  in  offering  up  prayers  which 
might,  as  it  were,  mingle  with  the  fra- 
grant incense,  and  both  come  up  in  a 
grateful  and  acceptable  cloud  before 
God.  In  like  manner  it  is  said,  Luke, 
1.  9,  10,  that  while  Zechariah  was  '  ex- 
ecuting the  priest's  office  according  to 


B.  C.  l';91.J 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


193 


the  custom,  his  lot  was  *o  burn  incense 
when  he  went  into  the  temple  of  the 
Lord.  And  the  whole  multitude  of  the 
people  were  praying  without  at  the 
time  of  incense.''  Here  the  two  servi- 
ces were-  performed  together,  the  one 
being  an  emblem  of  the  other.  As  then 
the  idea  of  prayer  is  prominent  in  the 
symbolical  purport  of  the  act  of  offer- 
ing incense,  we  may  safely  consider  the 
intercessory  office  of  Christ  in  heaven 
as  primarily  shadowed  forth  by  the 
golden  Altar  and  its  Levitical  uses.  As 
the  brazen  Altar  which  was  placed 
without  the  sanctuary  typified  his  sa- 
crifice, which  was  made  on  earth,  so 
the  Altar  of  Incense  stationed  within 
the  sanctuary  represented  his  interced- 
ing work  above,  where  he  has  gone  to 
appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us, 
and  where  his  intercession  is  as  sweet- 
smelling  savor.  This  is  to  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  it  occupied  a  place — 
directly  before  the  mercy  seat — which 
represented  the  appropriate  sphere  of 
the  Savior's  present  mediatorial  func- 
tions. Whatever  service  was  perform- 
ed by  the  priests  within  the  precincts 
of  the  Tabernacle  had  a  more  special 
and  emphatic  reference  to  Christ's  work 
in  heaven;  whereas  their  duties  in  the 
outer  court  had  more  of  an  earth- 
ly bearing,  representing  the  oblations 
which  Avere  made  on  the  part  of  sinners, 
and  on  behalf  of  sinners,  to  the  holy  ma- 
jesty of  Jehovah.  As,  however,  scarce- 
ly any  of  the  objects  or  rites  of  the 
ancient  economy  had  an  exclusive  typ- 
ical import,  but  combined  many  in  one, 
so  in  the  present  case,  nothing  forbids 
us  to  consider  the  prayers  and  devotions 
of  the  saints  as  also  symbolically  rep- 
resented by  the  incense  of  the  golden 
Altar.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  do 
pray  below  while  Christ  intercedes 
above  ;  their  prayers  mingle  with  his  ; 
and  it  is  doing  no  violence  to  the  sym- 
bol to  suppose  their  spiritual  desires, 
kindled  by  the  fire  of  holy  love,  to  be 
significantly  set  forth  by  the  uprising 
Vol.  II.  17 


clouds  of  incense,  which  every  morn- 
ing and  evening  filled  the  holy  place 
of  the  sanctuary  with  its  grateful  per- 
fume. 

Still  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the 
full  and  complete  design  of  the  golden 
Altar  as  a  symbol  can  be  reached, 
without  assigning  to  it,  as  well  as  to 
the  Candlestick  and  the  Table,  a  pros- 
pective reference.  Can  it  be  in  keep- 
ing with  the  rest  of  the  furniture  of 
the  Tabernacle,  unless  it  points  to  the 
heavenly  state  as  yet  to  be  developed  ? 
There  no  Altar  of  sacrifice  is  found, 
because  the  one  offering  of  the  Savior 
was  consummated  in  his  oblation  of 
himself  upon  the  cross.  But  the  Altar 
of  Incense  is  there,  and  it  bears  a  name 
(niiT>3  mizbeah),  the  leading  idea  of 
which  is  that  of  slain  sacrifice.  Why 
is  this  idea  to  be  carried  forward  into 
the  upper  sanctuary  in  connexion  with 
a  structure  intended  mainly  as  a  shadow 
oC  prayer,  thanksgiving,  and  praise? 
Why,  but  to  intimate  that  there  is  still, 
and  is  ever  to  be,  to  the  saints  a  real 
and  indissoluble  connexion  between  the 
atonement  of  Christ  and  the  praises  and 
doxologics  in  which  they  are  engaged 
in  heaven?  —  between  acquittal  from 
guilt  and  acceptance  to  favor?  Were  it 
not  for  the  virtue  of  his  atoning  sacri- 
fice how  could  they  be  in  heaven  to 
praise  him  at  all?  In  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  earthly  sanctuary,  the  coals 
on  which  the  incense  was  burnt  on  the 
golden  Altar  were  to  be  taken  from  the 
brazen  Altar,  This  taught  the  Israelite 
from  whence  the  efficacy  and  accept- 
ableness  of  their  prayers  and  praises 
was  derived.  So  in  the  heavenly  sanctu- 
ary, the  instrument  of  incense  is  call- 
ed by  the  otherwise  inappropriate  name 
of  altar  (sacrificatorj'-)  to  keep  its 
blessed  inhabitants  in  mmd  of  the  fact, 
that  the  blood  of  atonement  and  ihefire 
of  sacrifice,  must  be  for  ever  that  which 
imparts  all  its  grateful  fragrance  to  the 
songs,  ascriptions,  and  hallelujahs  of 
the  ransomed  throng  m  glory. 


194 


EXODUS, 


[B.  C.  1491. 


4  And  two  golden  rings  shah  thou 
maW  to  it  under  the  crown  of  it, 
by  ti.e  tAvo  corners  thereof,  upon 
the  two  sides  of  it  shalt  thou  make 
it ;  and  they  shall  be  for  places  for 
the  siaves  to  bear  it  withal. 

5  Ajid  thou  shalt  make  the  staves 
o/shittim-wood,  and  overlay  them 
with  gold. 

6  And  thou  shalt  put  it  before  the 
vail  that  is  by  the  ark  of  the  testi- 
mony, before  the  c  mercy-seat  that 
IS  over  the  testimony,  where  I  will 
meet  with  thee. 

cch.  25.21,22. 

6.  Thou  shalt  put  it  before  the  vail, 
&c.  That  is,  before  the  separating  vail 
suspended  between  the  Holy  and  Most 
Holy  Place  of  the  Tabernacle.  It  would 
of  course  be  '  before  the  mercy-seat,' 
though  the  Vail  interposed.  It  was 
stationed  about  midway  between  the 
Candlestick  and  Table  of  Shew-bread, 
though  considerably  nearer  to  the  Vail 
than  either. 

7,  8.  Aaron  shall  burn  thereon  sicect 
incense  every  morning.  Heb.  tTltSp 
f^/QO  ketoreth  sammim,  incense  of 
spices.  Gr.  dvjxia[ia  avvderov  Xetttoi',  in- 
cense  delicately  campounded.  It  might 
seem  from  the  letter,  that  Aaron  or  the 
High  Priest  alone  was  entitled  to  burn 
incense  on  this  Altar.  But  the  word 
*Aaron'  is  often  used  to  designate  the 
whole  priestly  order.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  Aaron  did  in  person  perform  this 
service  on  the  present  occasion,  and  the 
High  Priest,  whoever  he  was,  did  the 
same  on  other  great  occasions ;  but  it 
was  ordinarily  executed  by  the  inferior 
priests  in  their  courses.  Whatever 
priest  was  appointed  by  lot  to  be  in 
waiting  during  the  week,  he  every 
morning  and  evening  filled  his  censer 
with  fire  from  the  brazen  Altar,  and  in- 
troducing the  sacred  incense  went  into 
the  holy  place  and  set  the  censer  upon 
the  Altar.  As  the  daily  sacrifice  repre- 
sented the  perpetual  efficacy  of  Christ's 


7  And  Aaron  shall  bum  thereon 
d  sweet  incense  every  morning : 
when  «=  he  dresseth  the  lamps,  he 
shall  burn  incense  upon  it. 

8  And  when  Aaron  lighteth  the 
lamps  at  even,  he  shall  burn  in- 
cense upon  it;  a  perpetual  incense 
before  the  Lord,  throughout  your 
generations. 

9  Ye  shall  offer  no  ^strange  in- 
cense thereon,  nor  burnt-sacrifice, 
nor  meat-oflering ;  neither  shall  ye 
pour  drink-offering  thereon. 

d  v'cr.  34.  1  Sam.  2.  28.  1  Chron.  23.  13. 
Luke  1.  9.    ech.  27.  21.    fLev.  10.  1. 

atonement,  so  the  burning  of  incense 
morning  and  evening  typified  his  con- 
tinual intercession  for  us.  This  offered 
incense  was  called  a  *  perpetual  incense' 
because  it  was  regularly  offered  at  the 
appointed  time  without  cessation.  By 
a  like  phraseology  we  are  exhorted  to 
'pray  without  ceasing,'  i.e.  to  continue 
in  the  daily  practice  of  prayer  without 
omitting  it.  The  command  to  have  the 
incense  burnt  at  the  same  time  that  the 
lamps  were  dressed  gives  occasion  to 
Henry  to  remark  in  his  ordinary  spirit- 
ualizing vein,  that  it  was  designed  '  to 
teach  us,  that  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, which  are  our  light  and  lamp,  is 
a  part  of  our  daily  work,  and  should 
accompany  our  prayers  and  praises. 
When  we  speak  to  God,  we  must  hear 
what  God  says  to  us,  and  thus  the  com- 
munion is  complete.' IT  When  Aaron 

lighteth.  Heb.  tl^S^na  be-hadloth ,  when 
he  causeth  to  ascend;  a  phraseology  the 
ground  of  which   is  explained  in  the 

Note  on    Ex.  27.  20. IT    At  even. 

Heb.  tt'^^'15'n  ']^'2  bin  ha-arbayim,  be- 
tween the  two  evenings.  See  Note  on 
Ex.  12.  16. 

9.  Ye  shall  offer  no  strange  incense 
thereon.  That  is,  incense  of  a  different 
composition  from  that  prescribed,  v. 
34.  Gr.  Ovjuniia  Irepov,  another  incense. 
Chal.  'Incense  of  strange  spices.'  The 
incense  was  to  be  that  alone  which  God 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


195 


10  And  g  Aaron  shall  make  an 
atonement  upon  the  horns  of  it 
once  in  a  year,  with  the  blood  of 
the  sin-offering  of  atonements: 
once  in  the  year  shall  he  make 

sLev.  16.  18.  &23.  27. 

had  appointed  ;  and  special  care  was  to 
be  taken  to  make  no  confusion  between 
the  offerings  belonging  to  the  respec-tive 
altars,  of  which  the  one  kind  was  for 
atonement,  the  other  for  acceptance  on- 
ly. So  when  drawing  nigh  to  God  in 
prayer,  we  are  not  to  bring  the  fervor  of 
mere  animal  spirits,  which  may  easily 
be  mistaken  for  true  devotion ;  but  a 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  which 
alone  sends  forth  an  odor  that  is  well- 
pleasing  to  God.  Nor  are  we  to  imagine 
that  by  our  prayers,  or  by  any  thing 
else  that  we  can  bring  to  God,  we  can 
atone  for  sin,  or  contribute  in  the  least 
degree  towards  the  efficacy  of  Christ's 
atonement.  These  must  be  kept  quite 
distinct ;  and  whilst  our  prayers  are 
offered  on  the  Altar  of  Incense,  our 
pleas  mast  be  taken  solely  from  the 
Altar  of  Burnt-offering. 

10.  Aaron  shall  make  atonement  upon 
the  horns  of  it  once  in  a  year.  This  was 
to  be  upon  what  was  called  the  great  day 
of  Atonement,  of  which  a  full  account 
is  given  Lev.  10.  1 — 28.  The  ordinance 
was  peculiarly  striking,  as  it  intimated 
that  all  the  services  performed  at  it 
were  imperfect,  that  the  Altar  itself 
had  contracted  a  degree  of  impurity 
from  the  sinfulness  of  those  who  min- 
istered there,  and  that  €ven  the  very 
odors  of  the  daily  incense  needed  to  be 
sweetened  by  a  fresh  infusion  of  the 
savor  of  the  blood  of  sprinkling. — This 
mention  of  atonement  made  upon  the 
horns  of  the  Altar  affords  a  fair  occa- 
sion for  an  attempted  explication  of  a 
passage  in  the  Apocalypse,  c.  9.  13,  14, 
which  commentators  have  for  the  most 
part  passed  ever  with  a  very  superficial 
notice  ;  'And  the  sixth  angel  sounded, 
and  I  heard  a  voice  from  the  fqur  horns 


atonement  upon  it  throughout  your 
generations:  it  is  most  holy  usito 
the  Lord. 

11  H  And  the  Lord  spake  vnto 
Moses,  saying, 


of  the  golden  Altar  which  is  before  (^od, 
saying  to  the  sixth  angel  who  had  i'he 
trumpet,  Loose  the  four  angels  winch 
are  bound  in  the  great  river  Euphratfe,'s.' 
The  question  is,  What  is  implied  in  Ihe 
fact  of  this  voice  being  represented  as 
proceeding  from  the  four  '  horns  of  rhe 
golden  Altar?'  In  answer  to  this  it 
may  be  observed,  that  the  cases  nv^n- 
tioned  Ex.  21.  24.  1  Kings,  1.  50.  1 
Kings,  2.  28,  clearly  evince  that  che 
horns  of  the  Altar  were  constituted  an 
asylum  for  those  who  had  been  guilty 
of  undesigned  transgressions.  It  is  triue 
indeed  that  in  these  instances  allusion 
seems  to  be  had  more  especially  to  the 
Altar  of  holocausts  standing  in  the  court 
of  the  Tabernacle,  but  as  the  blood  ni 
atonement  was  sprinkled  in  like  man- 
ner upon  the  horns  of  both  the  brazen 
and  the  golden  altar,  it  is  to  be  infer 
red,  we  imagine,  by  a  parity  of  reason- 
ing that  the  horns  of  the  Altar  are  m 
general  a  symbol  of  divine  protection, 
or  of  a  secure  sanctuary  for  those  whose 
crimes  are  of  a  remissible  nature.  Bat 
as  the  sin  to  be  punished  by  the  voice 
of  the  sixth  trumpet  was  that  of  idol- 
atry, as  appears  from  Rev.  9.  20,  £1, 
which  in  a  whole  people  is  less  par- 
donable in  the  sight  of  God  than  aay 
other,  the  voice  issuing  from  the  four 
horns  of  the  golden  Altar,  is  a  virtual 
proclamation  that  God  w^as  about  lo 
withdraw  his  protection  from  a  portt  m 
of  idolatrous  Christendom,  and  to  sffid 
upon  it  a  plague  of  far  more  desolatl  ig 
character  than  that  of  the  locusts  wht  ;h 
had  preceded.  For  in  the  case  of  x'\e 
locust-wo,  commandment  was  given  ti  it 
men  should  be  tormented,  but  not  k  1- 
ed.  But  in  that  of  the  sixth  trumj  t, 
the  Euphratean  horsemen  were  appo/  t- 


196 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


12  iiWhen  thou  takest  the  sum 
of  the  children  of  Israel  after  their 
number,  then  shall  they  give  every 
man  » a  ransom  for  his  soul  unto 
the  Lord,  when  thou  numberest 
them:  that  there  be  no  k plague 
among  them  when  thou  numberest 
them. 

13  'This  they  shall  give,  every 
one  that  passeth  among  them  that 
are  numbered,  half  a  shekel,  after 
the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary:  (ma  I 
shekel  is  twenty  gerahs :)  "an  half 
shekel  shall  be  the  offering  of  the 
Lord. 

hch.  38.  25.  Numb.  1.  2,  5.  &  26.  2.  2 
Sam.  24.  2.  i  .Tob  33.  24.  &  36.  18.  Ts.  4i). 
7.  Matt.  20.  28.  Mark  10.  45.  1  Tim.  2.  6. 
1  Pet.  1.  18,  19.  k2Sam.  24.  15.  1  Matt.  17. 
24,  mLev.  27.  25.  Numb.  3.  47.  Ezek.  45. 
12.     n  ch.  38.  26. 

ed  to  slay  the  third  part  of  men.  The 
voice  therefore  in  this  vision  of  the 
prophet  is  to  be  understood  as  a  sign 
that  neither  atonement  nor  protection 
were  any  longer  to  he  afforded  by  the 
horns  of  the  Altar  to  those  who  were 
the  destined  victims  of  the  impending 
judgments.  The  consequence  was  that 
a  great  part  of  degenerate  Christendom 
was  speedily  overrun  by  myriads  of  the 
Turkish  cavalry,  carrying  wasting  and 
destruction  in  their  progress. 

THE   ATONEMENT-MONEY,    OR   RANSOM- 
TAX. 

12 — 16.  When  thou  takest  the  sum, 
&c.  That  is,  when  thou  makest  a 
census  ;  which  Moses  is  not  indeed  here 
expressly  commanded  to  do,  but  which 
it  is  supposed,  from  its  intrinsic  utility 
and  propriety,  he  would  do,  as  would 
also  his  successors  in  the  government 
of  Israel  in  after  ages.  It  seems  to  be 
a  general  direction  as  to  the  mode  of 
raismg  the  requisite  revenues  for  sup- 
porting the  expenses  of  the  Tabernacle 
worship.  The  original  building  and 
furnishing  the  sanctuary  was  provided 
for  by  the  voluntary  contributions   of 


14  Every  one  that  passeth  among 
them  that  are  numbered,  from 
twenty  years  old  and  above,  shall 
give  an  offering  unto  the  Lord. 

15  The  o  rich  shall  not  give  more, 
and  the  poor  shall  not  give  less 
than  half  a  shekel,  when  they  give 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord  to  make 
an  p  atonement  for  your  souls. 

16  And  thou  shalt  take  the  atone- 
ment-money of  the  children  of  Is- 
rael, and  q  shalt  appoint  it  for  the 
service  of  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation;  that  it  may  be  ^a 
memorial  unto  the  children  of  Is- 
rael before  the  Lord,  to  make  an 
atonement  for  your  souls. 

•  Job  34.  19.  Prov.  22.  2.  Ephes.  6.  9. 
Col.  3.  25.  P  ver.  12.  q  ch.  38.  25.  r  Numb. 
16.  40. 


the  people ;  but  the  necessary  charges 
for  sustaining  the  worship  now  to  be 
established  were  to  be  defrayed  fr*)m 
other  sources,  and  the  present  or"'cr 
seems  to  come  in  as  a  kind  of  reply  to 
the  question  which  would  be  naturally 
but  tacitly  asked,  'How  are  the  inevi- 
table expenses  of  such  a  system  of  wor- 
ship to  be  met?'  The  passage  before 
us  contains  the  desired  information. 
The  Most  High  foreseeing  that  the  cus- 
tom of  taking  a  census,  not  annually 
perhaps,  but  occasionally,  would  ob- 
tain among  the  chosen  people,  now 
orders  that  an  assessment,  or  poll-tax, 
of  half  a  shekel  each,  should  be  grafted 
upon  this  custom,  and  that  tliis  should 
be  the  ordinary  revenue  for  the  support 
of  the  ritual.  But  why  is  this  tax  call- 
ed a  '  ransom  or  atonement  (*1&5  Arc- 
phor)  for  the  soul?'  The  word  'atone- 
ment' naturally  suggests  the  idea  of 
expiation  for  sin;  but  can  silver  or 
gold  or  any  thing  short  of  the  blood  of 
the  'Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,'  aA^ail  to  propitiate  the  jus- 
tice of  God,  and  serve  as  a  '  ransom  for 
the  soul?'  The  true  answer  to  the 
question  depends  upon  a  correct  inter- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


197 


17  HAnd  the  Lord  spake  unto 
Moses,  saying, 

pretation  of  the  language.  The  term 
'  soul'  in  this  connexion  is  equivalent 
to  'life,'  'person,'  'self,'  as  explained 
in  the  Note  on  Gen.  14.  21.  It  was 
therefore  a  ransom  for  their  lives,  or  in 
other  words,  a  tribute  paid  to  God  by 
way  of  acknowledgment  that  they  had 
originally  received  their  lives  from  him, 
that  they  had  forfeited  their  lives  to  him, 
and  that  their  continued  preservation 
in  being  under  these  circumstances  was 
owing  to  his  more  sovereign  forbear- 
ance and  patience ;  and  that  conse- 
quently he  might  most  justly  claim 
from  them  whatever  he  might  see  fit 
to  demand,  for  the  support  of  insti- 
tutions of  which  they  themselves  at 
the  same  time  were  to  reap  the  great 
advantage.  The  payment  of  the  tax  of 
half  a  shekel,  therefore,  was  an  act  of 
homage  to  their  sovereign  Lord,  by 
which  they  would  express  their  de- 
pendence upon  him  for  their  spared 
lives  and  continued  mercies,  and  de- 
precate those  plagues  and  judgments 
which  their  sins  had  deserved.  This 
tax  was  to  be  assessed  upon  those  who 
were  twenty  years  old  and  upward, 
women,  minors,  and  probably  very  old 
men  being  exempted  ;  and  by  the  same 
sum  being  fixed  for  all,  rich  and  poor, 
it  was  strongly  intimated  that  all  lives, 
or  persons,  were  in  the  sight  of  God  of 
equal  value.  So  in  the  higher  atone- 
ment which  Christ  has  wrought,  the 
same  price  had  to  be  paid  for  the  soul 
of  the  lowest,  weakest,  meanest  be- 
liever, as  for  the  greatest  philosopher, 
prince,  or  potentate  that  shall  taste  of 

his   salvation. IT    Every  one    that 

passeth  among  them.  In  allusion  per- 
haps to  the  customary  mode  of  num- 
bering and  marking  flocks  of  sheep, 
which  were  made  to  pass  before  the 
numberer  that  he  might  count  them 
one  by  one.     See  Note  on  Lev.  27.  32. 

Comp-  Jer.  33.  13. IT    Shekel  of  the 

17* 


]  8   s  Thou    shalt    also  make    a 

sch.  38.  8.    1  Kings  7.  38. 

sanctuary.  So  called,  it  is  supposed, 
from  the  fact  of  the  standard  of  weights 
and  measures  being  keut  in  the  sanc- 
tuary. This  might  have  been  the  case 
under  the  Temple,  but  it  seems  in  the 
highest  degree  unlikely  that  such  a  cus- 
tom obtained  at  this  early  period.  And 
yet  we  know  of  no  other  reason  for  the 
use  of  this  peculiar  designation.  On 
the  name  and  value  of  the  ancient  He- 
brew shekel  see  Note  on  Gen.  20.  16. 
A  half  a  shekel  was  not  far  from 
twenty-five  cents  of  our  money.  ■  ■  ■ 
^  That  it  may  be  a  memorial  unto  the 
children  of  Israel  before  the  Lord. 
That  is,  a  memorial  at  once  of  them 
and  for  them;  a  memorial  testifying 
to  their  obedience,  and  reminding  them 
of  what  they  owed  to  their  heavenly 
Benefactor.  We  read  of  different  me- 
morials in  the  sacred  Scriptures.  The 
censers  in  which  Korah  and  his  com- 
pany offered  incense  were  taken  out  ol 
the  fire  in  which  the  offerers  perished, 
and  made  into  plates  to  be  a  covering  of 
the  altar  ;  '  to  be  a  memorial  that  none 
but  the  seed  of  Aaron  come  near  to 
offer  incense  before  the  Lord.'  The 
jewels  and  bracelets  of  which  the  Is- 
raelites spoiled  the  slaughtered  Midian- 
ites  were  presented  to  the  Lord  '  as  a 
memorial  unto  the  children  of  Israel,' 
that  not  one  of  their  army  fell,  though 
the  whole  Midianitish  kingdom  was  ut- 
terly destroyed.  So  the  half  shekels 
at  the  numbering  of  the  people  would 
serve  as  a  remembrancer  of  all  the  in- 
teresting facts  connected  with  the  oc- 
casion of  their  past  deliverance,  of  the 
fulfilment  of  the  divine  promises,  and 
of  their  future  preservation  and  blessed- 
ness under  the  favor  of  heaven. 

THE   LAVER. 

18.  Thou  shalt  make  a  later  ofbi'oss, 
&c.  Heb.  ITi^  kiyor,  rendered  'cal- 
dron,' 1  Sam.  2.  14,  but  usually  spoken 


198 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


laver  of  brass,  and  his  foot  also  of 
brass,  to  wash  withal:  and  thou 
shalt  tput  it  between  the  taber- 

t  ch.  40.  7,  30. 

of  a  large  basin  or  other  vessel  for 
washing.  In  respect  to  none  of  the  sa- 
cred articles  is  the  information  of  the 
text  more  brief  than  in  respect  to  this, 
as  nothing  is  said  of  its  form  or  dimen- 
sions. It  is  reasonable,  however,  to 
infer,  that  as  Solomon  modelled  the 
furniture  of  the  Temple  after  that  of 
the  Tabernacle,  only  on  a  vastlj'  larger 
scale,  and  as  his  Laver  viras  an  im- 
mense vat  or  reservoir,  called  *  a  sea,' 
and  of  a  circular  form,  so  the  form  of 
the  Tabernacle-laver  was  also  circular. 
De  Dieu  infers  the  same  from  the  fact, 
that  the  analogous  Arabic  word  is  used 
to  denote  vessels  of  that  form,  and  to 
this  inference  we  have  nothing  to  ob- 
ject. The  original  word  rendered  foot 
("p  k'tn)  has  a  meaning  not  easily  de- 
termined. Some  interpreters  under- 
stand it  of  a  lid  or  cover,  but  as  the  root 
has  the  sense  of  establishing,  fixing, 
founding  any  thing,  we  prefer  to  con- 
sider it  as  importing  in  this  connexion 
a  basis,  pediment,  or  supporter  upon 
which  the  Laver  rested.  As  the  cut 
which  we  have  given  below  is  sub- 
stantially the  same  with  that  of  the 
Pictorial  Bible,  and  adopted  for  a  like 
reason,  we  cite  the  words  of  the  Editor 
as  conveying  on  the  whole  that  view  of 
the  subject  which  we  consider  the  most 
correct.  '  Our  impression  is,  that  the 
Laver,  whatever  were  its  shape,  stood 
upon  another  basin,  more  wide  and 
shallow,  as  a  cup  on  a  saucer  ;  and  that 
the  latter  received,  from  cocks  or  spouts 
in  the  upper  basin,  the  water  which 
was  allowed  to  escape  when  the  priests 
washed  themselves  with  the  water 
which  fell  from  the  upper  basin.  If 
by  the  under  basin  we  understand  the 
'foot'  of  the  text,  the  sense  is  clear. 
The  text  does  not  say  that  the  priests 
were  to  wash  themselves  in  the  basin, 


nacle  of  the  congregation  and  the 
altar,  and  thou  shalt  put  Avater 
therein. 


but  at  it.  In  it  they  could  not  well 
wash  their  hands  and  feet  if  the  Laver 
was  of  any  height.  The  Rabbins  say 
the  Laver  had  several  cocks,  or,  '  nip- 
ples,' as  they  call  them,  from  which 
the  water  was  let  out  as  wanted.  There 
were  several  such  spouts,  but  the  num- 
ber is  differently  stated.  How  the 
priests  washed  their  hands  and  feet  at 
the  Laver  seems  uncertain.  That  they 
did  not  wash  in  either  the  Laver  or 
its  base  seems  clear,  because  then  the 
water  in  which  they  washed  would 
have  been  rendered  impure  by  those 
who  washed  before  or  with  them ;  and 
as  we  know  that  Orientals  do  not  like  to 
wash  in  a  basin,  after  our  manner,  m 
which  the  water  with  which  we  com- 
mence washing  is  clearer  than  that  with 
which  we  finish,  but  at  a  falling  stream, 
where  each  successive  affusion  is  of 
clean  water,  we  incline  to  think  that 
the  priests  either  washed  themselves 
with  the  stream  as  it  fell  from  the 
spouts  into  the  base,  or  else  received 
in  proper  vessels  so  much  water  as  they 
needed  for  the  occasion.  The  Orientals, 
in  their  washings,  make  use  of  a  vessel 
with  a  long  spout,  and  wash  at  the 
stream  which  issues  from  thence,  the 
waste  water  being  received  in  a  basin 
which  is  placed  underneath.  This 
seems  to  us  to  illustrate  the  idea  of  the 
Laver  with  its  base,  as  well  as  the  ab- 
lutions of  the  priests.  The  Laver  had 
thus  its  upper  basin,  from  which  the 
stream  fell,  and  the  under  basin  for  re- 
ceiving the  waste  water;  or  it  is  quite 
compatible  with  the  same  idea  and 
practice  to  suppose  that,  to  prevent  too 
great  an  expenditure  of  water,  they  re- 
ceived a  quantity  in  separate  vessels, 
using  it  as  described,  and  the  base  re- 
ceiving the  water  which  in  washing  fell 
from    tlioir  hands   and  feet.     This  ex- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXX, 


199 


19  For  Aaron  and  his  sons  u  shall 
wash  their  hands  and  their  feet 
thereat : 

20  When  they  go  into  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation,  they 
shall  wash  with  water,  that  they 
die  not :  or  when  they  come  near 

"ch.  40.  31,  32.  Ps.  26.  6,  Isai.  52.  11, 
John  13.  10.    Ileb.  10.  22. 

planatioa,  although  it  seems  to  us  prob- 
ble,  is,  necessarily,  little  more  than 
conjectural.  Our  cut  exhibits  another 
view  more  in  conformity  with  the  usual 
interpretations.  The  Jewish  commen- 
tators  say  that  any  kind  of  water  might 
be  used  for  the  Laver;  but  that  the 
water  was  to  be  changed  every  day. 
They  also  state  that  ablution  before 


to  the  altar  to  minister,  to  burn 
offering  made  by  fire  unto  the 
Lord: 
21  So  they  shall  wash  their  hands 
and  their  feet,  that  they  die  not : 
and  w  it  shall  be  a  statute  for  ever 
to  them,  even  to  him  and  to  his 
seed  throughout  their  generations. 

w  ch.  28.  43. 

entering  the  Tabernacle  was  in  no  case 
dispensed  with.  A  man  might  be  per- 
fectly clean,  might  be  quite  free  from 
any  ceremonial  impurity,  and  might 
even  have  washed  his  hands  and  feet 
before  he  left  home,  but  still  he  could 
by  no  means  enter  the  Tabernacle 
without  previous  ablution  at  the  La- 
yer.' 


The  Layer. 


The  typical  desiga  of  the  Laver  flows 
so  naturally  out  of  its  primary  uses, 
that  but  little  room  is  left  for  a  formal 
discussion  of  the  subject.  The  external 
ablution  of  the  body  with  water,  either 
in  whole  or  in  part,  was  a  significant 
mofle  of  teaching  the  necessity  of  an 
inward  purification  of  the  spirit.  Those 
who  were  officially  engaged  in  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Sanctuary  were  especially 
to  be  reminded  of  the  duty  of  preserving 
purity  in  all  their  ministrations,  and  of 
dreading  the  pollutions  of  sin.  It  was 
only  thus  that  their  functions  could  be 


available  to  themselves.  Their  feet 
trod  the  hallowed  precincts  of  the 
Holy  Place,  and  their  hands  offered  the 
sacrifices  upon  the  altar,  and  to  these 
members,  therefore,  in  lieu  of  their 
whole  bodies,  was  this  washing  to  be 
especially  applied.  The  position  o{ 
the  Laver  was  between  the  Tabernacle 
and  the  Altar,  as  an  intermediate  some- 
thing which  had  an  important  relation 
to  the  entrance  within  the  outer  vail. 
In  passing  from  the  Altar  of  Sacrifice 
to  the  interior  of  the  Sanctuary,  the 
priest  was,  as  it  were,  arrested  by  the 


200 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


22  IF  Moreover,  the  Lord  spake 
unto  Moses,  saying, 

23  Take  thou  also  unto  thee 
^  principal  spices,  of  pure  y  myrrh 
five  hundred  shekels,  and  of  sweet 
cinnamon  half  so  much,  even  two 

X  Cant.  4.  14.  Ezek.  27.  22.  y  Ps.  45.  8. 
Prov.  7.  17. 

Laver,  at  which  he  was  previously  to 
pause  and  perform  the  requisite  per- 
sonal cleansings.  Thus  too  there  is 
no  entering  into  heaven,  the  upper  sanc- 
tuary, without  a  previous  washing  in  the 
laver  of  regeneration.  The  renewing 
and  purifying  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  not  only  at  the  outset,  but 
through  the  whole  course  of  the  Chris- 
tian life,  are  most  significantly  shadow- 
ed forth  by  this  feature  of  the  ancient 
economy.  Indeed,  we  may  say  in  brief 
that  as  the  Altar  on  which  the  victims 
were  offered  was  a  symbol  o{  justifica- 
tion, so  the  Laver,  with  its  cleansing 
fountain,  was  a  symbol  of  sanctificationj 
and  among  the  moral  truths  so  impress- 
ively taught  by  the  sensible  emblems 
of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  none  was  perhaps 
more  pertinently  or  palpably  set  forth 
than  the  strict  connexion  between  the 
atoning  blood  of  Christ  and  the  sancti- 
fying efficacy  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this 
mutual  relation  of  these  articles  stand- 
ing in  the  outer  court.  It  is  a  relation 
which  seems  to  be  expressly  recognised 
by  David  when  he  says,  Ps.  26.  6, '  I 
will  wash  mine  hands  in  innocency,  so 
will  I  compass  thine  altar,  0  Lord.' 
The  same  truth  is  taught  in  the  New 
Testament,  where  we  are  told  that 
Christ  came  both  by  water  and  by  blood 
— the  one  to  atone  and  the  other  to  puri- 
fy— and  beyond  this  it  is  not  needful 
to  seek  for  the  typical  mystery  of  the 
Laver. 

THE   HOLY  ANOINTING   OIL. 

23,  24.  Take  thou  unto  the  principal 
spices,  &c.  Heb.  ffii^*!  d'^^lDli  besamim 
roshf  head  spices;  intimating  that  the 


hundred  and  fifty  shekels,  and  of 
sweet  2  calamus  two  hundred  and 
fifty  shekels. 
24  And  of  a  cassia,  five  hundred 
shekels,  after  the  shekel  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  of  oil-olive  an  b  hin : 

z  Cant.  4. 14.  Jer.  6.  20.    ^Ps.  45.  8.  t.  ch. 
29.  40. 


several  spices  which  formed  the  in- 
gredients of  the  anointing  oil  were  to 
be  of  the  very  best  kinds  then  known 
and  valued.    These  we  may  consider 

in  their  order. tT  Pure  myrrh.  Heb. 

11^1  1?D  mar  deror,  myrrh  of  free- 
dom; i.e.  myrrh  which  flowed  freely 
and  spontaneously,  instead  of  being 
drawn  by  incision,  and  was  therefore  of 

the  purest  kind. IT  Sweet  cinnamon. 

Hebrew  tJUS  T^Sp  kinnemon  besem, 
aromatic  cinnamon,  a  well-known  arti- 
cle of  spicery  deriving  its  name  direct- 
ly from  the  Hebrew.  The  word  is 
ordinarily  used  to  denote  the  second  or 
inner  bark  of  the  cinnamon-tree  which 
grows  in  great  abundance  in  the  island  of 
Ceylon.  But  as  the  bark  of  the  root  has 
a  stronger  flavor  than  that  of  the  trunk, 
Scheuzer  conjectures  that  that  which 
was  employed  in  the  composition  of 
the  holy  anointing  oil  was  of  the  former 

kind. IT  Sweet  calamus.    Heb.  flDp 

D'lIJ^  ken'eh  bosem,  spiced  cane.  This 
term  denotes  an  aromatic  reed  growing 
in  moist  places  in  Egypt,  in  Judea  near 
lake  Gennesarelh,  and  in  several  parts 
of  Syria.  It  grows  to  about  two  feet 
in  height ;  bearing  from  the  root  a 
knotted  stalk,  quite  round,  containing 
in  its  cavity  a  soft,  white  pith.  The 
whole  is  of  an  agreeable  aromatic  smell ; 
and  the  plant  is  said  to  scent  the  air 
with  fragrance,  even  while  growing. 
When  cut  down,  dried,  and  powdered, 
it  makes  an  ingredient  in  the  richest 

perfumes. IT    Cassia.      Heb.  Hip 

kiddah;  but  as  the  Shemitic  d  and  z 
are  closely  related  in  sound,  the  word 
is  otherwise  written  kitzia,  from  which 
comes  the  Gr.  Kaaata,  and  thence  the 


B.  C.  1491.1 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


201 


25  And  thou  shalt  make  it  an  oil 
ol  holy  ointment,  an  ointment  com- 
pound after  the  art  of  the  apothe- 
cary: it  shall  be  c  an  holy  anoint- 
ing oil. 

26  dAnd  thou  shalt  anoint  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation 
therewith,  and  the  ark  of  the  testi- 
mony. 

27  And  the  table  and  all  his  ves- 


sels, and  the  candlestick  and  his 
vessels,  and  the  altar  of  incense. 

28  And  the  altar  of  burnt-offer- 
ing Avith  all  his  vessels,  and  the 
laver  and  his  foot. 

29  And  thou  shalt  sanctify  them, 
that  they  may  be  most  holy : 
e  whatsoever  toucheth  them  shall 
be  holy. 

30  f  And  thou  shalt  anoint  Aaron 


c  ch.  37.  29.     Numb.  35.  25.     Ps.  69.  20.  &  I      e  ch.   29.  3' 
133.2.    dch.  40.  9.    Lev.  8.  10.   Numb.  7.  1.  !  12.  30. 


fch.  29.   7,   &c.     Lev.  8. 


English,  cassia.  We  find  in  the  Scrip- 
lures  no  naention  of  this  article  except 
here  and  Ezek.  27. 19,  where  it  is  joined 
with  calamus  and  enumerated  among 
the  precious  things  which  were  brought 
from  the  mart  of  Tyre. 

25 — 2S.  Thou  shalt  make  it  an  oil  of 
holy  ointment.  The  quantity  of  oil  was 
sufficient  to  retain  the  compound  in  a 
liquid  state,  which  was  probably  much 
improved  by  straining  off  the  dreggy 
parts  and  leavmg  the  residuum  defecat- 
ed and  pure.  With  this  holy  oil  was 
the  Tabernacle,  with  its  priesthood  and 
its  furniture,  to  be  anointed,  as  the  last 
and  crowning  act  of  consecration.  By 
this  sacred  unction  the  whole  was  sanc- 
tified and  set  apart  to  the  uses  for 
which  it  was  designed.  And  as  every 
thing  to  which  it  was  applied  became 
thereby  most  holy,  so  a  peculiar  sanc- 
tity attached  to  the  anointing  oil  itself, 
which  imparted  this,  and  it  was  on  peril 
of  death  that  any  of  the  same  com- 
position was  made  for  any  other  pur- 
pose. But  the  tradition  of  the  Jews, 
founded  upon  the  phraseology  of  v.  31, 
'  throughout  your  generations,'  that  the 
very  oil  now  prepared  by  Moses  was 
preserved  till  near  the  captivity,  and  that 
none  was  to  be  made  like  it,  not  even 
for  the  same  purpose,  is  undoubtedly 
erroneous.  It  is  perfectly  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  under  the  inspection  of 
the  High  Priest  it  was  made  as  often  as 
it  was  wanted  ;  nor  do  we  see  any  ob- 
jection to  the  idea  that  not  only  the 


priests  but  also  the  kings  of  Judahwere 
anointed  with  it,  although  as  that  form 
of  government  was  not  especially  con- 
templated at  this  time,  nothing  is  said 
on  this  subject. 

29.  Whatsoever  toucheth  them  shall  be 
most  holy.  The  two  leading  attributes 
of  the  anointing  oil  were  its  precious- 
ness  and  its  sanctity.  The  spices  of 
which  it  was  composed  were  peculiarly 
rare  and  odoriferous,  and  the  oil  with 
which  they  were  blended  was  most 
pure.  This  was  doubtless  intended  to 
shadow  forth  the  excellency  of  the  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  distinguish- 
ing emblem  under  the  old  economy  was 
oil.  And  what  is  to  be  compared  with 
the  preciousness  of  those  divine  influ- 
ences which  emanate  from  this  source  ? 
Upon  whomsoever  they  are  poured 
forth,  they  impart  light  to  the  under- 
standing,  pliancy  to  the  will^  purity  to 
the  affections,  tenderness  to  the  con- 
science, and  holiness  to  the  entire  man. 
There  is  nothing  beside  them  to  be  so 
earnestly  coveted  or  so  advantageously 
possessed.  They  are  the  true  riches 
of  the  soul,  and  the  sealing  title  to  an 
eternal  inheritance.  Wherever  enjoyed 
they  constitute  the  subject  of  them,  '  a 
new  creature,'  and  so  far  sanctify  every 
offering  which  he  presents,  that  '  God 
smells  a  sweet  savor  from  it,'  and  is 
well  pleased.  And  not  only  so.  It  is 
a  difiusive  blessedness  which  is  thus 
conferred.  As  every  vessel  that  was 
anointed  with  the  holy  ointment,  im- 


202 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


and  his  sons,  and  consecrate  them, 
that  they  may  minister  unto  me  in 
the  priest's  office. 
31  And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  the 
children  of  Israel,  saying,  This 
shall  be  an  holy  anointing  oil  unto 
me  throughout  your  generations. 

32  Upon  man's  flesh  shall  it  not 
be  poured,  neither  shall  ye  make 
any  other  like  it,  after  the  compo- 
sition of  it :  g  it  is  holy,  and  it  shall 
be  holy  unto  you. 

s  ver.  25.  37. 

parted  a  sanctity  to  every  thing  with 
which  it  came  in  contact,  so  every  true 
Christian  communicates  to  others,  as 
far  as  his  influence  extends,  the  same 
divine  principles  which  he  has  imbibed. 
As  was  said  in  mystic  language  of  tlie 
Savior,  so  may  it  be  said  of  all  his 
anointed  ones,  'Their  garments  smell 
of  myrrh,  aloes,  and  cassia,'  and  wlier- 
ever  they  go  they  diffuse  around  them 
'  the  savor  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ.' 
Let  us  seek  then  this  '  unction  from 
the  Holy  One,'  the  '  crown  of  the 
anointing  oil,'  which  sanctifies  and 
separates  all  those  upon  whom  it  comes. 
Let  us  guard  against  any  thing  that 
would  reflect  dishonor  upon  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Let  us  bear  in  mind  the  stri- 
king admonition  conveyed  in  the  figur- 
ative style  of  Solomon  ;  '  Dead  flies 
cause  the  ointment  of  the  apothecary 
to  send  forth  a  stinking  savor  ;  so  doth 
a  little  folly  him  that  is  in  reputation 
for  wisdom  and  honor.'  There  is  a 
sanctity  about  the  Christian  character 
which  should  be  kept  inviolate,  and  he 
that  dishonors  his  calling  puts  fire  to 
the  oil  of  his  consecration  to  his  own 
consuming. 

32.  Upon  man's  flesh  shall  it  not  be 
poured.  That  is,  upon  common  men,  up- 
on any  who  were  not  priests  ;  equivalent 
to  which  is  '  stranger'  in  the  next  verse. 

THE   HOLY   PERFUME. 

34.  Take  unto  thee  sweet  spices,  &c. 


33  b  Whosoever  compoundeth  any 
like  it,  or  whosoever  putteth  any 
of  it  upon  a  stranger  i  shall  even 
be  cut  off  from  his  people. 

34  1[  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 
ses, k  Take  unto  thee  sweet  spices, 
stacte,  and  onycha,  and  galbanum; 
these  sweet  spices  with  pure  frank- 
incense :  of  each  shall  there  be  a 
like  iceight: 

h  ver.  33.  iGen.  17.  14.  eh.  12. 15.  Lev. 
7.20,21.     kch25.  6.  &  37.  2U. 

This  order  has  respect  to  the  composi- 
tion of  the  Incense  which  was  to  be 
burnt  upon  the  golden  Altar.  This  al- 
so was  prepared  of  sweet  spices,  though 
not  of  so  rare  or  precious  a  quality  as 
those  of  which  the  anointing  oil  was 
compounded.  But  concerning  both  pre- 
parations the  same  law  is  given  that 
nothing  like  them  should  be  made  for 
common  use.  This  would  tend  to  beget 
among  the  Israelites  a  reverence  for 
whatever  was  of  divine  institution,  and 
a  sedulous  care  to  guard  against  its  pro- 
fanation or  abuse,  and  as  to  us,  who 
are  privileged  to  look  deeper  into  the 
spiritual  drift  of  the  Mosaic  economy, 
it  may  well  admonish  us  to  beware  ol 
any  'counterfeit  presentment,'  or  any 
unhallowed  prostitution,  of  those  ordin- 
ances, gifts,  or  graces  which  emanate 
from  the  Spirit  of  God  and  in  which 

his  honor  is  especially  concerned. 

IT  Stacte.  Heb.  t]t:3  netaph  from  tp^ 
nataph,  to  drop.  Gr.  araKTrj,  from  ara^to, 
to  distil.  This  was  a  fine  kind  of  gum 
which  was  produced  from  the  myrrh- 
tree,  but  diflTering  from  that  substance 
mentioned  v.  23,  by  retaining  a  waxy 
or  resinous  form,  instead  of  flowing  out 
as  a  liquid.  It  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  same  with  what  was  after- 
w^ards  called  '  opobalsam'  or  '  the  balm 

of  Jericho.' IT  Onycha.  Heb.  n^niU 

sheh'dleth,  a  word  which  occurs  only  in 
this  place,  and  of  which  the  true  sense 
is  consequently  very  difficult  to  be  de« 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


203 


35  And  thou  shalt  make  it  a  per-  i 
fume,  a  confection  J  after  the  art  of  | 
the  apothecary,  tempered  together,  < 
pure  and  holy :  j 

36  And  thou  shalt  beat  some  of| 
it  very  small,  and  put  of  it  before  | 
the  testimony  in  the  tabernacle  of  | 
the  congregation,  m  where  I  will  ! 
meet  with  thee:  "it  shall  be  unto 
you  most  holy. 

1  ver.  25.    «ch.  29.  42.  Lev.  15.  2.    "  ver. 
32.    ch.  29.  37.    Lev.  2.  3. 

termiued.  In  Syriac  i^nbri'J  shehelta, 
is  a  tear,  a  distillation,  and  the  Hebrew 
v/ord  would  seem  therefore  to  mean 
something  that  exuded,  some  vegetable 
gum  of  odorous  qualities.  The  Gr.  indeed 
has  ovv^a,  onycha,  from  npv^,  nail,  and 
several  learned  critics  have  supposed 
it  to  be  the  external  covering  (nail)  of 
the  shell-fish  purpura  or  murex,  which 
possessed  aromatic  properties  and  was 
thence  called  unguis  odoriferans,  odor- 
iferous onyx.  This,  according  to  Rum- 
phius,  was  the  basis  of  the  principal 
perfumes  employed  in  India,  just  as 
aloes  is  the  basis  of  all  their  pills.  But 
as  India  was  too  distant  for  drugs  to  be 
brought  from  thence  to  Judea  or  Arabia, 
where  the  Israelites  now  were,  and  as 
the  context  and  the  etymology  seem 
to  require  some  vegetable  substance,  the 
opinion  is  far  preferable  that  makes  it 
the  gum  of  some  aromatic  plant ;  and 
as  the  Arabic  version  has  'Ladana,'  it 
is  not  improbable  that  gum-ladanum , 
the  produce  of  the  'Cistus  ladaniferus,' 
was  the  drug  in  question.  This  is  a  se- 
cretion from  the  leaves,  which  is  swept 
off  by  the  beard  of  the  browzing  goats, 
from  whence  it  was  collected.  The 
shrub  is  a  native  of  the  Levant,  the 
isles  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  Arabia. 
——IT  Galbanum.  Heb.  reD^DH  helbe- 
nah,  which  Michaelis  supposes  to  be  a 
compound  of  D^H  heleb,  milk  or  gum 
and  "pi  leben,  white,  denoting  the 
white  milk  or  gum  of  some  plant,  as  it 
is  ppmmon  with  us  to  call  the  white 


37  And  as  for  the  perfume  which 
thou  .shalt  make,  oye  shall  not 
make  to  yourselves  according  to 
the  composition  thereof:  it  shall 
be  unto  thee  holy  for  the  Lord. 

38  p  Whosoever  shall  make  like 
unto  that,  to  smell  thereto,  shall 
even  be  cut  off  from  his  peo- 
ple. 

o  ver.  32.    P  ver.  33, 


juice  which  exudes  from  certain  plants 
the  '  milk,'  and  the  phraseology  is  re- 
tained in  medical  nomenclature  'gum 
lac,  &c.  The  '  galbanum'  is  supposed 
to  have  been  the  gum-resin  or  thickened 
sap  of  the  *  Bubon  Gummiferum,'  an 
umbelliferous  plant  of  Turkey,  which 
yields  this  gum  in  softish,  pliant,  and 
pale  cream-colored  masses,  whenever  a 
wound  is  made  in  any  part  of  it.  It 
is  of  a  strong  piercing  smell,  and  of 

a  bitterish  taste. IT  Frankincense. 

Heb.  nDm^  lebonah,  a  term  of  which  the 
root  also  is  '^j^D  laben  and  conveying 
the  idea  of  whiteness.  The  English 
word  'frankincense'  is  supposed  to  hare 
the  prefixed  epitliet  '  frank,'  free,  from 
the  liberal  and  ready  distribution  of  its 
odors.  This  drug,  otherwise  called 
'  olibanum,'  is  a  dry  resinous  sub- 
stance of  a  yellowish  white  color,  a 
strong  fragrant  smell,  and  bitter  acrid 
taste.  It  is  produced  from  the  '  Bos- 
wellia.  serrata,'  a  native  of  India,  and 
a  fine  tree  belonging  to  the  family  of 
the  turpentine-bearing  trees.  The  '  pure 
frankincense'  is  that  which  is  first  ob- 
tained from  the  tree,  and  for  that  rea- 
son considered  the  best.  When  laid 
upon  burning  coals,  or  a  hot  iron,  it 
sends  forth  a  vapor  of  most  delicious 
fragrance. 

35.  Tempered  together.  Heb.  n^^Ta 
memullah,  salted,  from  T\)if2  melah, 
salt.  The  Chal.  and  Gr.,  however,  hare 
set  the  example  of  rendering  by  mixed 
or  tempered,  as  if  their  idea  was  that 


204 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AND  the  Lord  spake  unto  Mo- 
ses, saying, 
2  a  See,  I  have  called  by  name 
Bezaleel  the  ^  son  of  Uri,  the  son 
of  Hur,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah : 
3  And  I  have  c  filled  him  with  the 

ach.  35.30.   &   36.   1.     ^i  Cliron.  2.  20. 
•ch.  35.  31.     1  Kings  7.  H. 

the  different  ingredients  were  to  be 
mixed  together  just  as  salt  is  mixed 
with  any  substance  on  which  it  is 
sprinkled.  Ainsworth  contends  for  the 
liberal  rendering,  inasmuch  as  the  law. 
Lev.  2.  13,  expressly  says,  'With  all 
thine  offerings  thou  shalt  offer  salt.' 
In  support  of  this  he  quotes  Maimoni- 
des,  who  affirms  that  '  there  was  not 
any  thing  offered  on  the  Altar  without 
salt,  except  the  wine  of  the  drink-offer- 
ings, and  the  blood,  and  the  wood ;' 
and  of  the  incense  he  says  still  more 
expressly,  that  '  they  added  to  it  the 
fourth  part  of  a  kab  oisalt.'  In  accord- 
ance with  which,  it  is  supposed,  our 
Savior  says.  Matt.  9.  49,  'Every  sacri- 
fice shall  be  salted  with  salt.'  We  feel 
incompetent  to  decide  the  question,  but 
confess  a  leaning  towards  the  view  of 
Ainsworth,  who  further  remarks  very 
appropriately,  that '  irour  speech  is  to  be 
always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt, 
as  the  apostle  teaches,  Col.  4.  6,  how 
much  more  should  our  incense,  our 
prayers  unto  God,  be  therewith  sea- 
soned V 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  Workmen  called. 
2. 1  have  called  by  name  Bezaleel  the 
son  of  Uri.  That  is,  I  have  especially 
designated,  appointed,  and  set  apart  to 
the  superintendance  of  this  w^ork  Be- 
zaleel the  son  of  Uri.  His  name  signi- 
fies '  under  the  shadow  of  God,'  but 
that  it  has  any  particular  significancy 
in  this  connexion  we  see  no  evidence. 
He  was  the  seventh  in  descent  from 


spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  and  in 
understanding-,  and  in  knowledge, 
and  in  all  manner  of  workman- 
ship, 

4  To  devise  cunning  works,  to 
work  in  gold,  and  in  silver,  and  in 
brass, 


Judah,  and  the  reader  will  find  his, 
genealogy  expressly  detailed,  1  Chron. 
2.  5—20. 

3.  I  have  filled  him  with  the  Spirit 
of  God,  &c.  That  is,  with  those  intel- 
lectual gifts  and  endowments  which 
are  immediately  specified,  and  which 
amounted  to  something  like  a  divine 
inspiration,  but  at  the  same  time  not 
implying  any  thing  of  a  moral  char- 
acter, the  usual  result  of  the  operation 
of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Both  he  and  his 
associates  in  the  work  were  to  be  the 
subjects  of  an  influence  which  should 
improve  their  faculties  and  endow  them 
with  an  ingenuity  and  skill  far  beyond 
the  utmost  stretch  of  their  unassisted 
powers.  This  extraordinary  ability 
now  to  be  imparted,  infinite  wisdom 
doubtless  saw  to  be  indispensable  on 
the  present  occasion.  The  children  of 
Israel  had  in  Egypt  been  condemned  to 
a  hard  bondage  in  brick  and  in  mortar, 
and  in  all  kinds  of  coarse,  rough,  and 
degrading  labor,  and  consequently  could 
not  be  supposed  to  be  qualified  for  the 
curious  workmanship  which  was  now 
required.  To  engrave  and  to  embroid- 
er, to  work  gold,  to  cut  diamonds,  and 
to  mount  jewels,  would  of  course  de- 
mand a  degree  of  tact  and  dexterity  for 
which,  as  they  had  served  no  previous 
apprenticeship  at  it,  they  must  be  m- 
debted  to  a  supernatural  teaching.  But 
he  who  had  designed  the  Avork  was 
abundantly  able  to  qualify  the  work- 
men. 

4.  To  devise  cunning  work.  Heb. 
lniffin)3  irn^  lahashob  mahashoboth, 
to  think  thoughts,  or  to  ponder  devices 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


205 


5  And  in  cutting  of  stones  to  set , 
them^  and  in  carving  of  timber,  to 
work  in  all  manner  of  workman-  j 
ship.  1 

6  And  I,  behold,  I  have  given 
with  him  ^Aholiab  the  son  of 
Ahisamach,  of  the  tribe  of  Dan; 
and  in  the  hearts  of  all  that  are 
e  wise-hearted  I  have  put  wisdom ; 
that  they  may  make  all  that  I 
have  commanded  thee : 

7  fThe  tabernacle  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  s  the  ark  of  the  testi- 
mony, and  h  the  mercy-seat  that  is 
thereupon,  and  all  the  furniture  of 
the  tabernacle, 

8  And  Uhe  table  and  his  furni- 
ture, and  k  the  pure  candlestick 
with  all  his  furniture,  and  the 
altar  of  incense, 

9  And  Uhe  altar  of  burnt-offer- 

d  ch.  35.  34.  e  ch.  28.  3.  &  35.  10,  35.  & 
3().  1.  fch.  36.8.  sch.  37.1.  h  ch.  37. 
5.    ich.  37.  10.     kch.37.  17.    Ich.  38.  1. 


Gr.  ap-)(^iTeKTovr]<jai^  lit.  to  architecton- 
ize.  Chal.  'To  teach  artificers;'  i.e. 
to  act  in  the  capacity  of  chief  designer, 
director,  and  overseer,  in  executing  the 
various  works  prescribed.  The  term 
does  not,  however,  in  this  connexion 
imply  that  Bezaleel  or  any  of  his  assist- 
ants were  to  exercise  their  ingenuity  in 
contriving  or  originating  any  of  the 
utensils  or  decorations  of  the  Taber- 
nacle. They  were  merely  to  execute 
the  plans  of  the  divine  Draughtsman. 
But  in  doing  this  there  was  still  room 
for  the  display  of  much  mechanical 
tact,  or  device,  in  accomplishing  every 
thing  with  exactness,  readiness,  and 
elegance. 

5 — 11.  In  carving  of  ti?nber,  Heb. 
tTiD^in^  baharoshith,  from  IDin  harash, 
which  has  the  general  sense  of  making 
incisions,  or  furrows,  whether  by  a 
ploughshare  in  the  soil,  or  by  a  graving 
tool  in  metal,  wood,  or  stone.  It  is  the 
same  word  with  that  rendered  '  cut- 
ting' in  the  preceding  clause,  which  has 
reference  mainly  to  the  engraving  of 

Vor.  17.  18 


ing  with  all  his  furniture,  and  «>  the 
laver  and  his  foot, 

10  And  n  the  clothes  of  service, 
and  the  holy  garments  for  Aaron 
the  priest,  and  the  garments  of  his 
sons,  to  minister  in  the  priest's 
office, 

11  oAnd  the  anointing  oil,  and 
p  sweet  incense  for  the  holy  place  ; 
according  to  all  that  I  have  com- 
manded thee  shall  they  do. 

12  %  And  the  Lord  spake  unto 
Moses,  saying, 

13  Speak  thou  also  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  saying,  q  Verily  my 
sabbaths  ye  shall  keep :  for  it  is  a 
sign  between  me  and  you  through- 
out your  generations;  that  ye  may 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord  that 
doth  sanctify  you. 

mch.  38.  8.  nch.  39.  1  41.  Numb.  4.  5, 
6,  &c.  och.  30.  25,  31.  &  37.29.  P  ch,  30. 
34.  &  37.  29.  q  Lev.  19.  3,  30.  &  26.  2.  Ezek. 
20.  12,20.  &44.  24. 

the  names  on  the  gems  of  the  breast- 
plate. We  do  not  indeed  read  else- 
where expressly  of  there  having  beea 
any  '  carved  work'  about  the  Taberna- 
cle, which  has  led  Patrick  to  suppose 
that  the  term  indicated  merely  the  com- 
mon work  of  carpenters  and  joiners. 
But  we  deem  it  altogether  probable  that 
there  was  some  ornamental  carved  work 
about  the  pillars ;  and  if,  as  we  have 
hinted  above,  several  of  the  utensils 
were  made  from  moulds,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  these  were  carved  out 

of  wood. IT   The  furniture.     Heb. 

'i^^  keli,  vessels,  implements,  utensils. 

See  Note  on  Gen.  24.  53. IT  Clothes 

of  service.  That  is,  the  various  vails 
and  coverings  of  cloth  which  were  used 
for  wrapping  the  holy  things  whenever 
the  people  broke  up  from  their  encamp- 
ments, and  moved  on  their  journeys. 
Comp.  Numb.  4.  5—12. 

The  Observance  of  the  Sabbath 
re-enjoined. 
13.  Verily  my  sabbaths  ye  shall  keep. 


206 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


14  'Ye  shall  keep  the  sabbath 
therefore :  for  it  is  holy  unto  you. 
Every  one  that  defileth  it  shall 
surely  be  put  to  death :  for  « who- 
soever doeth  ani/  work  therein, 
that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from 
among  his  people. 

1 0  t  Six  days  may  work  be  done, 

rch.  20.8.  Deut.  5.12.  Ezek.  20.  12.  '  di. 
35.2.    Numb.  15.  35.    tch.20.  9. 

This  command  is  here  repeated  from 
the  divine  foresight  of  its  necessity  un- 
der the  circumstances.  It  is  as  if  he 
had  said,  'You  are  indeed  about  to 
be  employed  in  an  important  and  sacred 
work,  one  requiring  great  assiduity  and 
despatch ;  nevertheless  let  it  not  be 
thought  that  this  circumstance  affords 
sufficient  ground  for  encroaching  upon 
holy  time  with  the  work  in  which  you 
are  engaged.  Let  the  most  urgent 
business  come  to  a  pause  during  the 

hallowed  hours  of  the    Sabbath.' 

fi  The  Lord  that  doth  sanctify  you. 
That  is,  by  an  external  consecration  of 
the  race  of  Israel  to  himself,  as  a  sign 
and  token  of  which  the  Sabbath  was 
ordained  as  a  day  of  worship  and  of 
rest  from  secular  labor.  The  institu- 
tion of  the  weekly  Sabbath  as  a  sanc- 
tified season,  was  an  expressive  indica- 
tion of  the  character  of  the  covenant 
relation  which  was  to  subsist  between 
God  and  Israel.  They  were  continually 
reminded  by  it  that  they  were  to  be  a 
sanctified  people,  chosen,  separated, 
and  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the 
world,  with  whom  all  traces  of  the 
primitive  Sabbath  had  become  nearly 
extinct.  Consequently  this  institution 
would  not  be  a  sign  to  the  Israelites 
only,  but  to  the  surrounding  nations. 
They  would  be  taught  the  same  truth 
by  the  same  medium.  As  the  religious 
rites  and  ceremonies  of  all  people  are 
an  index  of  the  character  of  the  deities 
whom  they  serve,  so  the  stated  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath  in  a  holy  manner 


but  in  the  "seventh  is  the  sabbath 
of  rest,  holy  to  the  Lord:  whoso- 
ever doeth  any  work  in  the  sab- 
bath-day he  shall  surely  be  put  to 
death. 

16  Wherefore  the  children  of  Is- 
rael shall  keep  the  sabbath,  to  ob- 
serve the  sabbath  throughout  their 
generations,  for  a  perpetual  cove- 
nant. 

u  Gen.  2.  2.  cli.  16.  23.  &  20.  10. 

would  testify  to  all  the  world  the  holy 
attributes  of  that  God  whom  they  wor- 
shipped  and  with  whom  they  were  in 
covenant. 

14.  It  is  holy  unto  you.  Heb.  TISIp 
tilDP  5<in  kodesh  hi  lakem,  it  is  holi- 
ness or    sanctification  unto   you. 

^  Shall  surely  be  put  to  death.  Heb. 
ri?2Ti  m^  moth  yumath,  dying  shall 
be  made  to  die.  That  is,  by  the  hands 
of  the  magistrate  if  the  iniquity  could 
be  proved  ;  if  not,  by  premature  death 
at  the  hand  of  God  himself,  which 
seems,  from  the  Rabbinical  writers,  to 
have  been  understood  as  the  penalty 
denounced  against  daring  crimes  when 
there  were  no  hunvan  witnesses  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  fact.  See  Note  on 
Gen.  17.  14. 

15.  Sabbath  of  rest,  holy  to  the  Lord. 

Heb.  mrr^ib  mnp  ^innD  nn'tu  shab- 

bath  shabbathon  kodesh  laihova,  a  sab- 
bath of  sabbatism,  holiness  to  Jehovah. 
Gr.  avairavats  ayia  tw  Kvpuo^  0,  rest  holy 
to  the  Lord.  The  phrase  is  peculiarly 
intensive  in  the  original.  Upon  com- 
paring this  with  the  preceding  verse,  it 
is  clear  that  the  two  parties,  God  and 
Israel,  were  each  to  hold  the  Sabbath 
holy  to  the  other  ;  and  upon  this  groimd 
the  observance  of  it  is  called  v.  16,  a 
'  perpetual  covenant.' 

16.  To  observe  the  sabbath.  Heb. 
KlXn  nii  nir3>b  laUsoth  eth  hash-shab- 
bath, lit,  to  door  make  the  sabbath.  The 
expression  in  the  original  is  peculiar, 
and  conveying  an  idea  not  easily  trans- 
ferable  into  English.  Our  phrases  '  keep 


p.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


207 


17  It  is  ^  a  sign  between  me  and 
the  children  of  Israel  for  ever:  for 
y  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  hea- 
ven and  earth,  and  on  the  seventh 
day  he  rested  and  was  refreshed. 

18  *i[  And  he  gave  unto  Zvloscs, 

Jt  ver,  13.  Ezek.  20.  12,  20.  y  Gen.  1.  31. 
&2.2. 

the  Sabbath'  and  *  observe  the  Sabbath' 
are  hardly  to  be  distinguished  in  im- 
port from  each  other,  carrying  with  them 
mainly  the  idea  o[  cessation  from  secular 
work.  But  the  Hebrew  formulary  '  to 
do  the  Sabbath'  has  the  additional  in- 
volved sense  of  the  active  doing  or 
performing  of  certain  acts  and  exer- 
cises essential  to  the  due  sanctification 
of  a  day  which  was  yet  emphatically  a 
day  of  rest.  The  same  phrase  occurs 
Deut.  5.  15,  'And  remember  that  thou 
wast  a  servant  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  that  the  Lord  thy  God  brought  thee 
out  thence  through  a  mighty  hand  and 
by  a  stretched-out  arm :  therefore  the 
Lord  thy  God  commanded  thee  to  keep  ] 
the  sabbath-day.  (rQlZJ  tDl'^  tli^  m:U3>ii,  i 
to  do  the  day  of  rest).''  So  also,  Deut.  I 
16.  1,  'Observe  the  month  of  Abib,  and  j 
keep  the  passover  (HOS  rr^ffiS^  asitha  j 
pesah,  do  the  passover)  unto  the  Lord 
thy  God.'  Comp.  Mat.  26.  IS,  'The 
Master  saith.  My  time  is  at  hand ;  I 
will  keep  the  passover  (tjiw  to  Traaya 
I  will  do  or  make  the  passover)  at  thy 
house  with  my  disciples.'  Again  Deut. 
16.  13,  'Thou  shalt  observe  the  feast  of 
tabernacles  {TV^'$t\  nSDil  311  hag  has- 
sukkoth  tadseh,  the  feast  of  tabernacles 
thou  shalt  do  or  make)  seven  days,' 
&c. 

17.  ^  sign  between  me  and  the  chil' 
dren  of  Israel  for  ever.  Chal.  'Between 
my  Word  and  the  sons  of  Israel.' 
IT  Was  refreshed.  Heb.  ffiSD"^  yinna- 
phesh,  fetched  breath.  Of  course  to  be 
understood  as  spoken  of  God  after  the 
manner  of  men,  on  the  principle  of  an- 
thropomorphism, of  which  a  very  ex- 
panded   detail    is  given  in  Rev.  .7.  P. 


when  he  had  made  an  end  of  com- 
muning with  him  upon  mount 
Sinai,  ^  tv/o  tables  of  testimony, 
tables  of  stone,  written  with  the 
finger  of  God. 

z  ch.  24.   12.  &   32.  15,  16.  &  34.  28,  29 
Deut.   4.  13.  &  5.  22.  <fc  9.  10, 11.    X  Cor 


Smith's  Comparative  View  of  Scriptu! 
and  Geologj\ 

The  Delivery  of  the   Tables  of  th* 

Law. 
18.  When  he  had  made  an  end  Cj. 
communing  with  him.  At  the  close  of 
the  forty  days'  sojourn  upon  the  mount, 
during  which  time  all  the  preceding 
laws  and  ordinances  had  been  delivered 
to  him.  The  clause  occurs  at  a  point 
where  it  forms  a  very  suitable  transition 
in  the  progress  of  the  narrative.  In  the 
ensuing  chapter  he  is  about  to  relate 
the  fact  of  his  having  broken  the  tables 
under  the  impulse  of  a  holy  indignation 
at  the  sins  of  the  people,  and  he  accord« 
ingly  here  premises  the  necessary  in- 
formation respecting  the  tables  them- 
selves, what  they  contained,  and  whence 

they  were  received. IT    Two  tables 

of  testimony.  The  grounds  of  this  ap- 
pellation have  already  been  explained, 
ch.  25.  16.  The  laws  written  on  them 
testified  the  will  of  God  as  to  the  duties 
of  his  creatures,  and  by  being  received 
and  deposited  in  the  Ark,  they  were  a 
testimony  on  the  part  of  Israel  that  they 
had  covenanted  to  receive  and  obey 
them  upon  the  penalty  of  incurring  all 
the  judgments  and  curses  by  which  they 
were  enforced.  They  were  written  on 
tables  of  stone  to  denote  their  perpetua' 
and  unchangeable  obligation  ;  and  they 
were  written  not  by  the  commandment, 
but  by  the  immediate  power  of  God  him- 
self, here  termed  his  'finger,'  which  is 
elsewhere  used  in  the  same  sense,  Ps. 
8.  3.  Luke,  11.  20.  As  however,  the 
'  finger  of  God'  is  spoken  of  by  our 
Savior  as  equivalent  to  the   '  Spirit  of 


208 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149 J. 


God,'  the  power  by  which  devils  were 
cast  out,  some  have  supposed  that  all 
that  is  meant  here  is,  that  these  tables 
were  written  by  Moses  indeed,  but  still 
by  the  direct  prompting  and  dictation  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  so  that  it  was  more 
entitled  to  be  considered  as  a  divine 
than  a  human  work.  But  the  follow- 
ing passages  would  seem  to  be  too  ex- 
plicit to  allow  of  any  other  than  the 
common  explication.  Ex.  24.  12,  'And 
the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Come  up  to 
me  into  the  mount,  and  be  there:  and  I 
will  give  the  tables  of  stone,  and  a  law, 
and  commandments  which  I  have  writ- 
ten; that  thou  mayest  teach  them.' 
Ex.  32.  15,  16,  'And  Moses  turned,  and 
went  down  from  the  mount,  and  the  two 
tables  of  the  testimony  were  in  his 
hand:  the  tables  were  written  on  both 
their  sides  ;  on  the  one  side  and  on  the 
other  were  they  written.  And  the  ta- 
bles were  the  work  of  God,  and  the  writ- 
ing was  the  writing  of  God,  graven  upon 
the  tables.'  Deut.  5.  22,  'These  words 
the  Lord  spake  unto  all  your  assembly 
in  the  mount,  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
fire,  of  the  cloud,  and  of  the  thick  dark- 
ness with  a  great  voice  ;  and  he  added 
no  more  :  and  he  wrote  them  in  two  ta- 
bles of  stone,  and  delivered  them  unto 
me.'  'Of  the  Decalogue,  above  all  other 
holy  writ,  God  seems  to  say,  as  Paul, 
Philem.  19,  'Behold,  I  have  written  it 
with  mine  own  hand.' '     Trapp. 


CHAPTER  XXXIL 

The  Golden  Calf. 
If  ever  a  situation  occurred  in  the 
history  of  man  in  which  we  were  au- 
thorised to  expect  the  presence  and 
prevalence  of  a  deep  and  awful  sense 
of  the  majesty  of  Jehovah,  together 
with  a  grateful  acknowledgment  of  his 
goodness,  and  a  trembling  solicitude  to 
avoid  every  thing  which  might  offend 
him,  it  was  that  in  which  the  race  of 
Israel  was  now  placed  at  the  base  of 
the  hallowed  mount.     They  had  ex- 


perienced the  most  incontestible  and 
astonishing  proofs  the  divine  power, 
favor,  and  love.  Little  more  than  thirty 
days  had  passed  since  they  had  wit» 
nessed  a  scene  of  grandeur  and  glory 
such  as  had  never  before  been  accorded 
to  mortal  eyes.  Jehovah  had  delivered 
to  them  his  holy  law  in  the  midst  of 
thunder,  lightning,  earthquake,  fire,  and 
the  presence  of  the  ministering  angels. 
The  terms  of  a  sacred  binding  covenant 
had  been  proposed  to  them,  to  which 
they  with  one  voice  acceded,  and  in- 
deed the  last  thing  which  is  related  of 
them  prior  to  the  present  chapter  is, 
that  'Moses  came  and  told  the  people 
all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the 
judgments  ;  and  all  the  people  answer- 
ed with  one  voice,  and  said,  All  the 
words  which  the  Lord  hath  said  we 
Avill  do,  and  be  obedient.'  Even  now 
Moses  was  gone  up  into  the  mount  to 
commune  Avith  God  on  their  behalf;  as 
their  faithful  representative,  he  had 
transacted  all  their  great  concerns  ;  the 
forty  days  were  almost  completed  ;  and 
he  was  just  upon  the  point  of  coming 
down,  bearing  the  sacred  tables  in  his 
hand,  and  fully  instructed  and  author- 
ised to  set  up  the  Tabernacle-worship 
among  them ;  when  lo,  the  innate  de- 
pravity of  the  human  heart  breaks  out 
with  a  virulence  utterly  astounding, 
and  unbelieving  impatience  ripens  at 
once  into  an  act  of  gross  idolatry  ! 
Who  could  have  thought  it  ?  Daily  fed 
by  manna  from  heaven  ;  daily  refresh- 
ed by  water  from  the  smitten  rock  ; 
surrounded  by  miracles  of  might  and 
benignity  against  which  it  would  seem 
impossible  that  their  eyes  should  be 
closed,  who  could  have  anticipated, 
that  in  utter  defiance  of  the  command- 
ment to  which  they  had  so  lately  and 
so  solemnly  avowed  obedience,  they 
should  have  ordered  the  fabrication  of 
other  gods,  and  '  changed  their  glory 
into  the  likeness  of  an  ox,  that  eateth 
grass  V  Yet  this  is  the  mournful  scene 
which  we  are  now  called  to  contem- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


209 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

AND  when  the  people  saw  that 
Moses  a  delayed  to  come  down 
out  of  the  mount,  the  people  gather- 
ed themselves  together  unto  Aaron, 
and  said  unto  him,  ^Up,  make  us 

a  ch.  24.  18.    Deut.  9.  9.     b  Acts  7.  40. 

plate  !  No  wonder  that  Josephus  should 
have  felt  this  transaction  to  be  such  a 
stain  on  the  character  of  his  people  as 
to  make  him  ashamed  to  record  it ;  al- 
though its  disgracefulness  cannot  justi- 
fy him,  as  an  honest  historian,  in  omit- 
ting it. 

1.  When  the  people  saw  that  Moses 
delayed,  &c.  Heb.  MIZJ^O  11:TD'2  "^^  ki 
boshesh  Mosheh,  lit.  that  Moses  caused 
shame.  The  idiom  of  the  original  in 
regard  to  this  word  is  peculiar.  The 
radical  ^ID  bosh  signifies  primarily  to 
be  ashamed,  abashed,  to  blush  for  shame, 
whether  through  fear,  modesty,  or  dis- 
appointment ;  and  as  long  tarrying  or 
waiting  in  vain  for  one's  coming  is  apt 
to  be  attended  with  a  sensation  of  shame 
or  displacency,  as  Judg.  3.  25,  '  they 
tarried  till  they  were  ashamed,^  the 
word  is  thence  easily  applied  as  here 
to  tarrying  or  delaying,  the  effect  be- 
ing put,  by  a  usual  rhetorical  figure, 
for  the  cause.  See  this  ideal  con- 
nexion between  delay  and  shame  in 
the  diction  of  the  Hebrew  more  fully 
unfolded  in  the  Note  on  Judg.  3. 25. 
The  Gr.  has  Kt^poviKc  from  ^^oon^w,  to 
procrastinate,  a  derivative  from  %j9o»'os, 
usually  rendered  time,  but  in  many 
cases  more  legitimately  signifying  de- 
lay. Thus  Rev.  10.  5  —  7,  'And  the 
angel  which  I  saw  stand  upon  the  sea 
and  upon  the  earth,  lifted  up  his  hand 
to  heaven,  And  sware  by  him  that  liv- 
eth  for  ever  and  ever,  who  created  heav- 
en, and  the  things  that  therein  are, 
and  the  earth,  and  the  things  that  there- 
in are,  and  the  sea,  and  the  things 
which  are  therein,  that  there  should  be 
time  (^poi'og  delay)  no  longer :  But  in 
the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
IS* 


gods  which  shall  ego  before  us: 
for  as  for  this  Moses,  the  man  that 
brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  we  wot  not  what  is  become 
of  him. 


c  ch.  13.  21. 


angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound, 
the  mystery  of  God  should  be  finished, 
as  he  hath  declared  to  his  servants 
the  prophets,  Here  the  meaning  un- 
doubtedly is,  that  there  should  be  no 
longer  delay  than  until  the  days  of 
the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when 
the  events  predicted  should  come  to 
pass.  As  there  can  be  no  question, 
from  the  computation  of  prophetic  chro- 
nology, that  we  are  brought,  in  the 
evolutions  of  providence,  to  the  very 
borders  of  this  period,  it  should  be 
no  matter  of  surprise  to  witness  the 
most  stupendous  changes,  moral,  intel- 
lectual, and  political  in  the  aflfairs  of 
the  world.  The  '  finishing  of  the  mys- 
tery of  God'  is  a  much  greater  event, 
or  order  of  events,  than  the  occur- 
rence of  the  anticipated  Millennium. 
IT  Gathered  themselves  together  un- 
to Aaron.  Heb.  'i^Ji  "^V  ^np'i  yik- 
kahel  al  Aaron,  were  assembled  upon 
or  against,  Aaron.  The  usual  term  in 
Hebrew  for  to  is  ^Di^  el  instead  of  ^3>  al, 
which  latter  has  more  the  sense  of  con- 
tra, against,  and  the  idea  intended  to  be 
conveyed  is  probably  that  they  beset 
him  in  a  violent  and  tumultuous  man- 
ner, clamorously  demanding  of  him  that 
he  should  yield  to  their  wishes.  It  is 
perhaps  but  justice  to  Aaron  to  suppose 
that  he  at  first  earnestly  opposed  the 
measure,  but  that  he  was  at  length 
overcome  by  the  importunity  and  men- 
aces of  the  people.    Still  nothing  can 

excuse    his  ultimate   compliance. 

IT  Up,  make  us  gods,  &c.  Heb.  rT£33> 
S'^n^S^  IDJ)  asch  lanu  elohim,  make  for 
us  Elohim.  The  term  itself  leaves  it 
somewhat  doubtful  whether  a  unity  or 
pluralty  of  idea  is  intended  by  it,  as  it 


210 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


admits  of  either.  From  Neh.  9.  18,  it  j 
would  seem  that  the  former  was  the 
meaning;  'Yea,  when  they  had  made 
them  a  molten  calf,  and  said.  This 
is  thy  God  that  brought  thee  out  of 
Egypt.'  The  same  is  doubtless  also 
to  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  Aaron 
made  only  one  calf,  Stephen  indeed, 
Acts,  7.  40,  uses  tlie  plural  number,  but 
this  is  probably  merely  in  imitation  of 
the  Hebrew  form,  which  very  often  has 
a  singular  import.  Comp.  Gen.  25.  13. 
35.  7.  We  are  not  to  suppose  that  a 
people  who  only  six  weeks  before  had 
witnessed  such  amazing  demonstrations 
of  the  existence  and  glory  of  the  true 
God  had  suddenly  sunk  to  such  a  pitch 
of  mad  infatuation  and  brutish  stupidity, 
as  to  imagine  that  human  fabrication 
could  '  make  a  god  that  should  go  be- 
fore them.'  Their  meaning  was  that 
an  image,  a  visible  sign  or  symbol  of 
Jehovah,  should  be  made,  something 
which  should  answer  to  them  in  place 
of  the  Shekinah  which  had  hitherto 
conducted  them  in  the  pillar  of  cloud. 
This  visible  symbol,  which  they  had 
hitherto  enjoyed,  and  which  had  now 
become  apparently  immoveable  on  the 
summit  of  the  mount,  is  frequently  de- 
nominated '  glory,'  or  '  glory  of  the 
Lord,'  and  as  they  proposed  to  form  to 
themselves  so  vile  a  substitute  for  this 
as  a  brute  animal,  therefore  it  is  that 
the  Psalmist  calls  it  a  '  changing  of 
their  glory  into  the  likeness  of  an  ox 
that  eateth  grass.'  That  the  measure 
was  prompted  at  bottom  by  a  disrelish 
of  a  purely  spiritual  worship,  and  a 
desire  to  be  furnished  with  some  sensi- 
hle  sign  of  a  divine  presence  in  the 
midst  of  them,  is,  we  think,  quite  mani- 
fest ;  and  that  the  forms  of  Egyptian 
idolatry,  to  which  they  had  been  previ- 
ously familiarised,  had  tended  to  in- 
fuse this  leaven  into  their  minds,  is,  in 
our  view,  equally  unquestionable.  We 
are  inclined,  therefore,  to  give  no  little 
weight  to  the  following  extracts  from 
the  Rabbinical  writers  cited   by  Bishop 


Patrick.  In  the  Pirke  Elieser  (c.  55.) 
we  are  told  that '  they  said  unto  Aaron, 
The  Egyptians  extol  their  gods ;  they 
sing  and  chant  before  them ;  for  they 
behold  them  with  their  eyes.  Make  us 
such  gods  as  theirs  are,  that  we  may 
see  them  before  us.'  So  also  R.  Jehu- 
dah  (Cosri,  P.  1.  §  97.)  'They  desired  a 
sensible  object  of  divine  worship  to  be 
set  before  them  ;  not  with  an  intention 
to  deny  God,  who  brought  them  out  ol 
Egypt,  but  that  something  in  the  place 
of  God  might  stand  before  them,  when 
they  declared    his  wonderful    works.' 

IT  We  ivot  not  what  is  become  of 

him.  They  evidently  had  no  sufficient 
reason  to  warrant  them  in  supposing 
that  he  was  lost,  or  that  he  delayed  his 
return  longer  than  was  necessary.  They 
knew  that  he  had  made  arrangements 
for  a  somewhat  protracted  stay.  They 
had  seen  him  ascend  the  mount  and 
enter  the  cloud  ;  they  knew  his  errand, 
for  they  had  themselves,  when  shrink- 
ing under  a  sense  of  guilt  and  terror 
from  converse  with  the  Most  High,  de- 
legated him  to  be  their  representative. 
Had  they  not  then  every  reason  to  be 
persuaded  of  his  safetj^?  Yet  they 
affect  to  consider  him  as  lost  to  them, 
as  no  more  to  come  among  them ;  nor 
any  more  to  guide  them  towards  the 
promised  land  !  Yet  even  if  they  were 
sincere  in  this,  how  little  respect  do 
they  show  to  his  memory  !  How  lightly 
do  they  speak  of  the  apparent  loss  of 
their  faithful  leader,  of  their  kind  bene- 
factor !  'We  wot  not  what  is  become 
of  him." — evidently  implying  that  they 
cared  as  little  as  they  pretended  to 
know.  Alas  !  how  true  is  it,  as  evinced 
by  this  transaction,  that  the  highest 
services,  the  greatest  merits,  the  rich- 
est benefactions,  cannot  secure  their 
subjects  from  the  vilest  indignities, 
aspersions,  and  ingratitude  of  their  ob- 
jects I 

2.  Aaron  said  unto  them,  break  off 
the  golden  ear-rings,  &c.  The  very 
jewels,  without  doubt,  of  which  they 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


211 


2  And  Aaron  said  nnto  them, 
Break  off  the  d  golden  ear-rings 
whicli  are  in  the  ears  of  your 
wives,  of  your  sons,  and  of  your 
daughters,  and  bring  them  unto 
me. 

3  And  all  the  people  brake  off 
the  golden  ear-rings  which  loerc 
in  their  ears,  and  brought  them  un- 
to Aaron. 

d  Judg.  8.  24,  25,  26,  27. 

had  despoiled  their  oppressors  at  their 
departure  from  Egypt,  and  at  the  Red 
Sea.  But  what  shall  be  said  of  the 
conduct  of  Aaron  on  this  emergency? 
We  have  no  intimation  in  the  text  that 
he  remonstrated  at  all  against  the  mon- 
strous suggestion,  or  endeavored  in  the 
least  \o  convince  the  people  of  their  sin 
and  folly  in  the  measure  they  proposed  ; 
and  yet  we  would  fain,  if  possible,  find 
some  extenuation  of  the  course  pur- 
sued by  so  good  a  man  on  this  occasion. 
There  is  perhaps  a  shadow  of  ground, 
on  which  to  erect  a  charitable  apology 
for  Aaron  in  this  part  of  the  transac- 
tion. The  proposal  that  they  should 
break  off  and  give  up  their  ear-rings 
may  have  been  made  in  the  secret  hope, 
that  they  would  be  unwilling  to  devote 
their  choicest  treasures  to  this  object, 
and  that  while  they  were  wavering  in 
reference  to  the  project,  Moses  might 
return  and  by  his  presence  crush  the 
growing  evil  in  the  bud.  But  the  result 
showed  that  it  is  not  safe  to  try  experi- 
ments upon  the  readiness  of  sinners  to 
make  sacrifices  for  their  lusts,  and  that 
his  true  course  was  at  once  to  have 
stood  up  and  boldly  resisted  their  in- 
solent and  impious  demands,  even  at 
the  hazard  of  his  life.  His  not  taking 
this  resolute  stand,  and  in  humble  trust 
in  God  braving  all  consequences,  but 
pusillanimously  yielding  to  their  im- 
portunities, gave  a  kind  of  public  and 
official  sanction  to  the  whole  proceed- 
ing, in  consequence  of  which  the  peo- 
ple would  naturally  rush  on  with  ten- 


4  e  And  he  received  them  at  their 
hand,  and  fashioned  it  with  a 
graving  tool,  after  he  had  made  it 
a  molten  calf:  and  they  said. 
These  be  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which 
brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt. 


e  ch.  20.  23.  Deut.  9.  16.  Judg.  17.  3,  4. 
1  Kings  12.  '28.  Neh.  9.  18.  Ps.  106.  19. 
Isai.  46.  6.    Acts  7.41.     Rom.  1.  23. 


fold  violence  in  their  chosen  way.  How 
fearful  the  example  of  a  great  and  good 
man  succumbing  to  the  urgency  of  a 
lawless  mob  !  How  deplorable  the  is- 
sues when  the  appointed  barriers  to 
iniquity  become,  by  their  yielding,  its 
abettors] 

3,  All  the  people  brake  off,  &c.  The 
sequel  shows  that  the  phrase  '  all  the 
people'  is  not  to  be  taken  in  its  most 
literal  sense,  for  there  were  some  that 
still  refused  to  give  in  to  the  general 
act  of  rebellion  ;  but  the  majority  were 
unanimous,  and  promptly  resigned  their 
ornaments ;  thus  teaching  us  that  the 
impulse  of  a  mad  and  foolish  super- 
stition is  sometimes  sufficiently  power- 
ful to  overrule  the  principles  of  pride 
and  avarice,  and  that  the  charges  of 
idolatry  are  more  cheerfully  met  than 
the  expenses  of  the  true  religion.  Alas  ! 
how  is  the  niggardliness  of  the  people 
of  God  in  maintaining  the  services  of 
his  worship  rebuked  by  the  liberality 
and  self-sacrifices  of  the  votaries  of 
idols  ! 

4.  Fashioned  it  with  a  graving-tool, 
after,  &c.  But  if  it  were  run  or  cast 
in  a  mould,  as  is  implied  by  the  v/ord 
'  molten,'  how  could  it  properly  be  said 
to  have  heen  fashioned  afterward?  The 
literal  rendering  of  the  original  is,  '  He 
fashioned  it  with  a  graving-tool,  and 
made  it  a  calf  of  molten-work  ;'  by 
which  we  may  imderstand  either,  that 
he  first  formed  a  model  of  wood,  with 
the  instrument  here  mentioned,  by 
means  of  which  a  mould  was  construct- 


212 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


5  And  when  Aaron  saw   it,  he 
built  an  altar  before  it;  and  Aaron 


ed,  and  in  the  mould  the  calf  was  cast, 
or  that  the  carved  image  was  itself 
made  into  the  idol  by  having  the  melt- 
ed metal  poured  over  it.  It  is  a  point 
difficult  to  be  determined,  and  one  that 
has  given  rise  to  much  diversity  of  in- 
terpretation among  commentators.  This 
we  forbear  to  recite,  as  it  is  needless  to 
swell  the  accumulation  of  uncertainties. 

IT   Made  it  a  molten  calf.     The 

motive  for  giving  this  form  to  a  rep- 
resentation of  the  Deity,  is  doubtless  to 
be  proximately  traced  to  their  famil- 
iarity with  the  idol  worship  of  Egypt. 
That  people  were  in  the  habit  of  pay- 
ing divine  honors  to  Apis  in  the  form 
of  an  ox  or  bull,  and  this  probably  ol- 
fered  the  hint  to  the  Israelites  on  the 
present  occasion.  Whether  Apis  was 
in  himself  an  original  and  independent 
God,  or  merely  a  living  and  visible  rep- 
resentation of  another,  is  still  question- 
able. The  most  general  and  probable 
oj)inion  is,  that  he  was  regarded  as  a 
symbol  of  their  chief  god  Osiris,  or  the 
Sun  ;  and  if  so,  we  can  see  more  reason 
for  the  remark  made  above,  that  the 
object  of  the  Israelites  in  this  proceed- 
ing was  to  make  a  symbol  or  sign  of 
the  Most  High,  or  something  to  rep- 
resent to  the  senses  his  real  presence 
among  them.  But  although  the  allu- 
sion to  the  Egyptian  mythology  now  re- 
cognised might,  without  going  any  far- 
ther, be  deemed  a  sufficient  explana- 
tion of  the  fact,  we  are  still  induced  to 
express  the  opinion  that  there  was, 
moreover,  at  the  same  time  a  latent 
and  ultimate  reference  to  the  cherubic 
symbol,  of  which  the  ox  was  one  of  the 
leading  elements.  We  know  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  from  the  earliest  ages  the 
Cherubim,  as  an  accompaniment  of  the 
Shekinah,  had  been  revealed  under  the 
fourfold  variety  of  aspect  which  is  as- 


made  f  proclamation,  and  said,  To 
morrow  is  a  feast  to  the  Lord. 

fLev.  23.  2,  4,  21,  37.    2  Kings  10.  20.    , 
Chron.  30.  5. 


signed  to  them  in  Ezekiel ;  and  as  this 
device  Avas  consequently  closely  con- 
nected in  the  Israelitish  mind  with  the 
visible  manifestation  of  the  Deity,  it 
would  not  be  unnatural  that,  having 
come  recently  from  Egypt,  they  should 
have  chosen  it  as  the  most  appropriate 

medium  of  representing  Jehovah. 

IT  These    be    thy  gods,    O  Israel,  &c 
That  is,  this  is  thy  god,  O  Israel ;  in  ac 
cordance  with  what  we   have   alread) 
said  above  of  the  import  of  the  phrast 
The  tenor  of  the  observations  just  madvw 
must  be  our  clue  to  the  right  constructiovi 
of  this  language.    Aaron  did  not  intend 
to  say  that  this  molten  image  was  the 
real  and  veritable  God  who  had  brought 
them  out  of  Egypt,  but  simply  that  it 
was  his  visible  symbol ;  and  not  im- 
probably his  secret  hope  was,  that  on 
this  account  they  would  make  the  due 
mental  discrimination,  and  not  be  so 
sottish  as  to  worship  it.     But  the  act 
was  in  direct  contravention  of  the  sec- 
ond commandment,  and  that  it  was  re- 
garded by  the  Spirit  of  God  as  an  in 
stance  of  downright,  unequivocal  idol 
atry,  we  are  assured  upon  the  testimony 
of  the  apostle,  1  Cor.  10.  7,  'Neither  be 
ye  idolaters,  as  were  some  of  them.' 
So  also  Ps.  106.  19,  'They  made  a  calf 
in  Horeb  and  worshipped  the  molten 
image.'  'How  oft,  alas  !  have  we  abus- 
ed   God's   mercy  ;   taking  his   jewels, 
and  making  a  golden   calf  of  them ." 
Trapp. 

5.  When  Aaron  saw  it,  &c.  Heb. 
']'1n!!^  5<'T"1  va-yar  Aaron,  and  Aaron 
saw;  i.  e.  saw  the  result ;  saw  how  the 
aifair  was  regarded  by  the  people  ;  saw 
and  considered  the  issue  of  his  own 
conduct.  The  word  'it,'  supplied  by 
our  translators,  does  not  refer  to  the 
calf,  but  in  a  wider  sense  to  what  oc- 
curred  upon  its  formation.— -—IT  And 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


213 


6  And  they  rose  up  early  on  the 
morrow,  and  offered  burnt-offer- 
higs,  and  brought  peace-offerings: 
and  the  g  people  sat  down  to  eat 
and  to  drink,  and  rose  up  to  play. 

7  H  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 

g:l  Cor.  10.7. 

Aaron  made  a  proclamation,  and  said, 
To-morrow  is  a  feast  to  the  Lord.  Heb. 
mn*^)}  3n  haglaihovah,afeastto,for, 
or  of  Jehovah.  By  Aaron's  building  an 
altar  and  proclainaing  this  feast  to  the 
true  God,  it  would  seem  that  he  still 
proposed  within  liimself  to  lead  the 
thoughts  of  the  people  through  the  out- 
ward medium  and  tix  them  upon  Je- 
hovah himself,  the  only  proper  object 
of  adoration.  But  such  a  mixture  of 
divine  and  idolatrous  worship  never 
fails  to  mislead  the  mass  of  men,  and 
though  the  priests  of  a  corrupt  religion, 
in  imitation  of  Aaron,  may  plead  that 
the  use  of  paintings,  images,  and  sacri- 
fices, is  intended  merely  as  a  help,  by 
sensible  media,  to  spiritual  worship, 
yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  its  prac- 
tical effects  are  always  just  the  same 
with  those  here  recorded,  and  that  it 
comes  under  the  same  condemnation. 
Whatever  were  Aaron's  private  views 
or  wishes,  the  transaction  is  thus  again 
characterised  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  Acts, 
7.  41,  'And  they  made  a  calf  in  those 
days,  and  offered  sacrifices  unto  the 
idol,  and  rejoiced  in  the  work  of  their 
hands.'  So  Jehu,  led  away  by  the  same 
delusion,  could  boast  of  his  zeal  for  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  while  yet  he  was  a  wor- 
shipper of  the  golden  calves  of  Jerobo- 
am, 2  Kings,  10.  16,  29. 

6.  And  they  rose  up  early,  &c. 
Eagerly  intent  upon  their  idolatrous 
service,  and  apparently  uneasy  at  its 
being  delayed  so  long  as  until  the  mor- 
row, they  lost  no  time  on  the  ensuing 
morning  in  bringing  their  burnt-ofTer- 
ings  and  peace-offerings,  although  of 
sin-offerings,  which  they  most  needed, 
w^  find  no  mention.     They  thought- 


ses,  ^  Go,  get  thee  down :  for  thy 
people,  which  thou  broughtest  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  ihave  cor- 
rupted themselves : 

h  Deut.  9.  12,  ver.  1.  ch.  33. 1.  Dan.  9. 24. 
■Gen.  6. 11,  12.  Deut.  4.  16.  &  32.  5.  Judg. 
2.  19.    Hos.  9.  9. 

lessly  exulted  in  the  celebration  of  a 
festival  which  was  soon  to  prove  so 

fatal  to  them. IT   Sat  down  to  eat 

and  to  drink.  That  is,  upon  the  re- 
mainder of  the  oblation  of  peace-otfer- 
ings,  to  a  share  of  which  the  offerers 
were  entitled.  The  burnt-offerings  were 
wholly  consumed  as  holocausts.  By 
thus  partaking  of  these  offerings  they 
were  brought  into  forbidden  fellowship 
with  the  idol,  as  is  clear  from  the  rea- 
sonings of  Paul,  1  Cor.  10.  17—21.  The 
sad  consequences  of  this  apostacy  they 
were  soon  made  to  experience.  God's 
jealousy  burns  very  fiercely  about  his 

altar. IT    Rose   up  to  play.     Heb. 

pn^^i  Ictzahek.  A  word  of  ominous 
import,  implying  not  only  such  sports 
as  singing,  dancing,  and  merry-making 
in  general,  but  in  some  cases  also  a 
species  of  conduct  which  the  epithet 
wanton  as  correctly  defines  as  any  term 
which  we  deem  it  proper  to  employ. 
Compare  the  use  of  the  same  original 
word,  rendered  '  mock,'  Gen.  39.  14. 
Compare  also  Num.  25.  1,2.  In  like 
manner  it  appears  that  the  ancient  sa- 
crificial feasts  among  the  Gentiles  were 
so  frequently  turned  into  scenes  of  vo- 
luptuous revelling  and  drunkenness,  that 
Athenoeus  informs  us,  that  by  the  early 
Greeks,  the  word  fteOveiv,  to  be  drunk, 
was  supposed  to  be  derived  from  fxera 
TO  Qvciv,  after  the  sacrifices,  when  they 
gave  themselves  up  to  large  drinking. 

7.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
Go,  get  thee  down,  &c.  As  if  the  ur- 
gency of  the  occasion  would  naturally 
give  the  utmost  intensity  to  the  lan- 
guage, the  Greek  here  adds  the  word 
'  quickly,'  as  does  Moses  indeed  him- 
self in  speaking  of  the  incident,  Deut. 


214 


EXODUS. 


{B.  C.  1491. 


8  They  have  turned  aside  quick- 
iy  out  of  the  way  which  k  I  com- 
nnanded  them:  they  have  made 
them  a  molten  calf,  and  have  wor- 
shipped it,  and  have  sacrificed 
thereunto,  and  said,  i  These  be  thy 

k  ch.  20.  3,  4,  23.    Deut.  9.  16.    1 1  Kings 

12.  28. 

?.  12,  'Arise,  get  thee  down  quickly.' 
rhe  people,  abandoning  themselves  to 
anhallowed  revelry,  thought  neither  of 
3od,  before  whom  they  had  so  recently 
;rembled,  nor  of  Moses,  their  venerable 
eader  and  friend,  nor  of  the  ten  com- 
nandments  to  which  they  had  a  few 
iveekis  since  so  solemnly  sworn  obedi- 
ence, and  one  of  which  in  the  most  ex- 
press terms  forbade  the  very  crime  of 
which  they  were  now  guilty.  Giving 
themselves  up  to  licentious  mirth,  they 
thought  only  of  the  present  moment. 
But  here  we  learn  how  the  matter  v/as 
I'iewed  on  the  mount.  This  ought  in 
fact  to  have  been  their  chief  concern — 
not  how  they  regarded  it,  but  how  it 
was  looked  upon  from  above.  But  this 
was  neglected,  and  the  same  neglect 
is  continually  evinced  by  heedless 
transgressors  intent  upon  sensual  pleas- 
ures. Ah,  did  they  but  reflect  that  there 
is  an  unsleeping  eye  ever  watchful  over 
their  career,  and  a  true  estimate  in- 
cessantly making  up  of  their  conduct, 
which  will  finally  come  to  them  in  the 
form  of  a  fearful  indictment,  what  a 
salutary  damper  would  it  throw  upon 
their  profane  hilarities  !  How  needful 
is  it  for  us  often  while  sporting  on  the 
plain,  to  think  of  the  judgment  formed 

of  our  conduct  on  the  mount ! IT  Thy 

people.  A  tone  of  indignation  breathes 
through  this  language,  as  if  the  oifend- 
mg  people  had  forfeited  all  right  to  be 
longer  considered  God''s  people,  and  he 
had  utterly  cast  them  off;  '  for  thy  peo- 
ple have  corrupted  themselves.'  The 
effect  of  sin  is  to  write  'Lo-ammi,'  not 
my  people,  upon  the  most  chosen  ser- 
vants of  Jehovah.    '  But  in  this  mode  of 


gods,  O  Israel,  which  have  brought 
thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 
9  And  the  Lord  said  unto   Mo- 
ses, m  I  have  seen  this  people,  and 
behold,  it  is  a  stiff-necked  people : 

mch.  33.  3,  5.  &  34.  9.  Deut.  9.  6.  13.  & 
31.  27.  2  Chron.  30.  8.  Isai.  48.  4.  Acts 
7.51. 


speech  something  gracious  was  con- 
cealed. A  hint  was,  as  it  were,  given 
him  to  gainsay  the  Lord,  and  to  put 
him  upon  the  thine  and  the  thou.  Of 
this  he  immediately  availed  himself 
and  said,  'Why  doth  thy  wrath  wax 
hot  against  thy  people,  which  thou  hast 
brought  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
with  great  power,  and  with  a  mighty 
hand  V  Krummacher.  The  original  term 
for  '  corrupted'  implies  both  their  idol- 
atry  and  the  consequent  judgments 
which  they  had  brought  upon  them- 
selves, according  to  the  twofold  sense 
of  the  same  word,  Gen.  6.  11 — 13,  on 
which  see  Note. 

8.  They  have  turned  aside  quickly, 
Sac.  This  language  might  properly  be 
used  considering  the  very  short  time 
that  had  passed  since  they  heard  the 
law  from  mount  Sinai,  and  promised 
obedience,  and  were  afterwards  warned 
not  to  '  make  to  them  gods  of  silver  or 
of  gold.'  They  quickly  forgot  his 
works  ;  but  the  punishment  which  their 
sudden  defection  incurred  admonishes 
us,  that  nothing  is  more  provoking  in 
the  eyes  of  heaven  than  a  speedy  back- 
sliding after  solemnly  renewing  our 
covenant  with  God,  or  receiving  special 
mercies  at  his  hand. 

9.  I  have  seen  this  people,  &c.  Targ 
Jon.  'The  pride  of  this  people  is  re- 
vealed before  me.'  The  meaning  is,  I 
have  long  noted,  observed,  and  studied, 
as  it  were,  their  disposition.  I  know 
their  genius,  and  the  character  which  I 
am  constrained  to  give  of  them  is,  that 
they  are  a  stiff-necked  people.  This  is 
a  metaphor  taken  from  stubborn  and 
intractable  bullocks  whose  necks  are 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


215 


10  Now  therefore  » let  me  alone, 
that  omy  wrath  may  wax  hot 
against  them,  and  that  I  may  con- 
sume them  :  and  pi  will  make  of 
thee  a  great  nation. 

11  qAnd  Moses  besought  the 
Lord  his  God,  and  said,  Lord, 
why  doth  thy  wrath  wax  hot 
against  thy  people,  which  thou 
hast  brought  forth  out  of  the  land 

nDeut.  9. 14,  19.  o  ch.  22.  24.  P  Numb. 
14.12.  q  Deut.  9.  18,  26,  27,  28,  29.  f  s.  74. 
1,2.  &  106.  23. 


brought  with  the  greatest  difficulty  to 
submit  to  the  yoke.  Compare  the 
equivalent  allusion,  Is.  48.  4,  '  Thy 
neck  is  an  iron  sinew,'  which  would 
not  bend.  Jer.  5.  5,  'But  these  (the 
great  men)  have  altogether  broken  the 
yoke  and  burst  the  bonds.' 

10.  Now  therefore  let  me  alone,  &c. 
Chal.  'Leave  off  thy  prayer  before  me.' 
Do  not  interpose  by  prayers  and  de- 
precations in  their  behalf.  Moses  had 
not  yet  opened  his  mouth,  but  God  fore- 
saw the  holy  violence  with  which  his 
importunity  would  besiege  his  throne, 
and  apparently  desires  him  not  to  in- 
tercede for  them.  What  greater  or 
more  significant  proof  could  be  given 
of  the  divine  condescension  to  the  pe- 
titions of  a  mortal?  'God  is  fain  to  be- 
speak his  own  freedom  ;  as  if  Moses'  de- 
votion were  stronger  than  God's  indig- 
nation. Great  is  the  power  of  prayer; 
able,  after  a  sort,  to  transfuse  a  dead 
palsy  into  the  hand  of  Omnipotence.' 
Trapp.  The  words,  however,  which 
seemed  to  forbid,  were  really  intended 
to  encourage  Moses  in  his  suit.  They 
are  not  indeed  a  positive  command  to 
him  to  pray  in  behalf  of  Israel,  but  they 
indicated  what  it  was  that  would  stay 
the  divine  hand  from  punishing  ;  and 
were  equivalent  to  saying,  '  If  you  in- 
tercede for  them,  my  hands  are  tied, 
and  I  cannot  execute  the  deserved  ven- 
geance.'   Of  this  hint  Moses  would  not 

be  slow  lo  avail  himself. IT  And  I 

will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation.    As 


of  Egypt,  with  great  power,  and 
with  a  mighty  hand? 

12  r  Wherefore  should  the  Egyp- 
tians speak  and  say,  For  mischief 
did  he  bring  them  out,  to  slay 
them  in  the  mountains,  and  to 
consume  them  from  the  face  of 
the  earth  ?  Turn  from  thy  fierce 
wrath,  and  s  repent  of  this  evil 
against  thy  people. 

i-Numb.  14.  13.  Deut.  9.28.  &  32.27 
s  ver.  14. 

if  the  Most  High  would  bribe  the  for- 
bearance of  his  servant.  The  words 
evidently  disclose  a  secret  purpose  to 
try  the  spirit  of  Moses,  as  if  to  see 
whether  the  prospect  of  becoming  great 
and  distinguished  himself,  would  out- 
weigh his  regard  for  the  interests  of  his 
people.  He  assaults  him  in  a  point 
where  most  men  are  most  vulnerable, 
but  the  noble  disinterestedness  of  Mo- 
ses was  proof  against  the  power  of  this 
appeal  to  the  selfish  principles  of  his 
nature,  and  the  apparent  dissuasives 
from  intercession  only  urged  him  on 
with  more  vehemence  in  his  suit. 

11.  Why  doth  thy  wrath  wax  hot 
against  thy  people,  &c.  This  is  not 
probably  to  be  understood  as  an  ex- 
postulation, as  if  there  were  not  suffi- 
cient cause  for  God  to  be  angry ;  but 
rather  as  an  earnest  entreaty  that  he 
would  not  in  wrath  consume  them.  The 
same  usage  of  speech  is  common  both 
in  the  prophets  and  the  Psalms.  Thus 
Ps.  44.  23,  24,  'Awake,  why  sleepest 
thou,  0  Lord  ?  arise,  cast  us  not  off  for 
ever.  Wherefore  hidest  thou  thy  face, 
and  forgettest  our  affliction  and  our  op- 
pression?' See  also  the  interrogative 
and  optative  modes  of  expression  in- 
terchanged, Mat.  5,  39,  and  Luke.  8. 52. 
Mat.  8.  29,  and  Luke,  8.  28. 

12.  Wherefore  should  the  Egyptian* 
speak  and  say,  &c.  The  prayer  of  Mo- 
ses on  this  occasion  contains  a  three- 
fold plea  ;  (1.)  That  God  would  not  re- 
flect upon  his  own  wisdom  by  so  sooa 


}16 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  M91. 


13  Remember  Abraham,  Isaac, 
md  Israel,  thy  servants,  to  whom 
hou  t  swarest  by  thine  own  self, 
ind  saidst  unto  them,  "I  will  mal- 
iply  your  seed  as  the  stars  of  hea- 

tGen.  22.  16.  Hebr.  6,  13.  "Gen.  12.  7. 
'i  13.  15.  &  15.  7. 18.  &,  26.  4.  &  28.  13.  &  35, 

lestroying  what  he  had  employed  so 
nuch  power  to  preserve.  (2.)  That  he 
vould  not  give  advantage  to  the  Egyp- 
ians  to  glory  over  the  ruin  of  a  race 
vhom  they  so  much  hated.  (3.)  That  he 
v^ould  remember  his  covenant  promises 
o  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.  The 
econd  of  these  arguments  he  pros- 
cutes  in  the  passage  before  us,  and  in 
[oing  so  shows  that  he  had  the  glory 
)f  God  quite  as  much  at  heart  as  the 
velfare  of  Israel.  Aware  that  the  eyes 
md  the  tongues  of  Egypt  and  the  sur- 
ounding  nations  were  intent  on  finding 
natter  of  malicious  triumph  over  a 
)eople  so  signally  delivered  from  bond- 
ige,  so  miraculously  sustained,  so  won- 
Irously  conducted,  he  would  at  all  haz- 
irds  preclude  every  ground  and  occa- 
lion  upon  which  the  divine  glory  could 
)e  blemished  in  the  estimate  of  his  ene- 
nies.  Should  the  chosen  people  now 
ifter  such  illustrious  displays  of  divine 
)ower  in  their  behalf  perish  under  the 
itroke  of  deserved  wrath,  what  would 
)e  more  natural  than  that  fickleness  or 
mpotence  should  be  imputed  to  their 
covenant  God,  and  thus  his  holy  name 
)e  blasphemed  on  every  side  ?  All  that 
lad  been  thus  far  done  would  go  for  no^ 
hing,  and  to  human  appearance  the 
VIost  High  would  *  disgrace  the  throne 
)f  his  glory.'  But  this  was  a  con- 
sequence which  the  pious  heart  of  Mo- 
ses could  not  endure  to  contemplate, 
md  therefore  is  he  so  emphatic  in  urging 
he  question,  '"What  will  the  Egyptians 
say?'  Whatever  petitions  we  oflTer  to 
3od,  the  glorifying  his  great  name 
should  ever  be    the  grand    prompting 

■notive  and  the    ultimate   scope. 

r  For  mischief.    Heb.  HS^'lS  beraah, 


ven,  and  all  this  land  that  I  have 
spoken  of  will  I  give   unto   yom 
seed,  and  they  shall  inherit  it  for 
ever. 
14  And  the  Lord  w  repented  oi 

wDeut.  32.  26.  2  Sam.  24.  16.  1  Chron. 
21.15.  Ps.  106.45.  Jer.  18.  8.  &  26.  13,  19 
Joel  2.  13.     Jonah  3.  10.  &  4.  2. 


in  evil,  in  malice;  i.  e.  maliciously. 
Gr.  ^tra  TTovrjoia;,  with  maliciousness 

IT  Repent  of  this  evil  against  thy 

people.  Heb.  ^2'$^  n^^tl  ^^  al  haraah 
le-ammeka,  over  the  evil  to  thy  people. 
Gr.  sTTi  TTf  KaKia  Tov  \aov  en',  upon  the 
evil  of  the  people.  The  original  doubt- 
less implies  both  the  evil  of  crime 
committed  by  the  people,  and  the  evil 
of  punishment  suffered,  or  about  to  be 
suffered,  by  them.  The  latter  idea  of 
the  two  was  so  prominent  in  the  mind 
of  the  Chaldean  translator  that  he  has 
rendered  it,  'Repent  of  the  evil  which 
thou  purposedst  to  do  u^to  thy  people.' 
This  of  course  is  spoken  after  the  man- 
ner of  men  on  the  principles  explained 
in  the  Note  on  Gen.  6.  6.  The  simple 
meaning  is,  'Relent  from  inflicting  this 
threatened  evil.' 

13.  Remember  Abraham,  Isaac,  &c. 
This  was  doubtless  the  great  argument 
of  all,  the  promise  made  to  the  fathers. 
To  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise  the 
veracity  of  God  would  have  been  pledg- 
ed, had  it  been  given  simply  in  the  form 
of  a  plain  declaration ;  but  there  was 
more  than  this  ;  it  was  a  promise  con- 
firmed by  an  oath,  and  an  oath  sworn 
by  himself,  than  whom  he  could  swear 
by  no  greater.  Consequently  nothing 
could  be  conceived  more  binding  by 
which  the  honor  of  divine  truth  could 
be  engaged  to  the  performance  of  its 
stipulations.  It  is  as  if  he  had  said, 
'Lord,  if  thy  people  be  now  destroyed, 
shall  not  thy  promise  fail  for  ever- 
more ?  And  shall  their  unbelief  be  al- 
lowed to  make  thy  truth  of  none  eflfect? 
God  forbid.' 

14.  And  the  Lord  repented,  &c.  Heb 
nin'^  fin^'^l  va-ylnnahem  Yehovah.  Gr. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


217 


the  evil  which  he  thought  to  do 
unto  his  people. 

15  U  And  *  Moses  turned,  and 
went  down  from  the  mount,  and 
the  two  tables  of  the  testimony 
were  in  his  hand :  the  tables  were 
written  on  both  their  sides;  on 
the  one  side  and  on  the  other  were 
they  written. 

X  Deut.  9.  15. 

iXaaOrj  Kvptos^  the  Lord  was  propitiated; 
the  same  term  which  occurs  in  the  pray- 
er of  the  publican,  Luke,  18.  13,  *God, 
be  merciful  (iXacrdriri,  be  propitiated) 
to  me  a  sinner  j'  i.  e.  by  the  interven- 
tion of  a  mediator.  The  publican  there- 
fore does  not  rely  upon  the  absolute 
mercy  of  God  irrespective  of  an  atone- 
ment.— The  suit  of  Moses  prevails  with 
Jehovah.  He  so  redoubles  and  multiplies 
the  obstacles  which  he  would  fain  throw 
in  the  way  of  the  execution  of  ven- 
geance, that  God  virtually  acknowledges 
himself  overcome,  and  accordingly  the 
Psalmist  says,  Ps.  106.  23,  'He  would 
have  destroyed  them  had  not  Moses 
his  chosen  stood  before  him  in  the 
breach.' 

15.  The  two  tables  of  testimony  were 
in  his  hand.  The  reason  of  this  de- 
nomination has  been  previously  ex- 
plained. See  Note  on  Ex.25. 16.  These 
tables,  as  we  are  elsewhere  informed, 
were  of  stone ;  by  which  we  are  per- 
haps to  understand  a  substance  similar 
to  that  of  the  precious  stones ;  beau- 
tiful and  splendid  in  a  high  degree,  as 
well  as  durable,  that  it  might  corres- 
pond with  the  remaining  articles  of  the 
tabernacle-furniture.  Thus  the  Jewish 
writers;  'The  first  tables  were  hewn 
out  of  the  sapphire  of  the  throne  of 
God's  glory.'  The  two  tables  were 
probably  designed  to  close  together  like 
the  lids  of  a  book,  and  by  their  being 
written  on  both  sides  is  meant  that 
their  right  and  left  hand  leaf  or  side 
were  each  of  them  to  be  occupied  with 
letters. 

Vol.  II.  19 


16  And  the  y  tables  were  the 
work  of  God  and  the  writing  was 
the  writing  of  God,  graven  upon 
the  tables. 

17  And  when  Joshua  heard  the 
noise  of  the  people  as  they  shout- 
ed, he  said  unto  Moses,  There  is  a 
noise  of  war  in  the  camp. 

ych.  31.  18. 

16.  The  tables  were  the  work  of  God, 
&c.  That  is,  the  preparation  of  the 
materials,  the  stony  tablets,  by  which 
they  were  brought  into  a  state  suitable 
for  receiving  the  purposed  inscription, 
was  as  purely  the  work  of  Jehovah  him- 
self, as  the  engraving  of  the  characters 
which  appeared  upon  them. 

17.  And  when  Joshua  heard,  &c. 
The  ignorance  of  Joshua  respecting  the 
real  nature  of  the  uproar  in  the  camp 
evinces  that  he  had  not,  after  ascend- 
ing the  mount  with  Moses,  ch.  24.  13, 
as  yet  returned  thither  again  ;  so  that 
the  inference  is  obvious  that  Joshua,  as 
well  as  Moses,  was  forty  days  in  the 
mount,  though  not  in  the  same  part  of 
it.  How  he  was  sustained  or  employed 
we  are  not  informed.  He  was  now 
probably  waiting  for  Moses  at  some 
distance  from  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
at  the  point  whither  Moses  *  went 
down,'  V.  15,  and  upon  his  re-appear- 
ance addressed  him  in  the  words  that 
follow.  His  calm  and  quiet  waiting 
during  all  the  time  of  Moses'  absence 
stands  in  very  strong  and,  to  him,  cred- 
itable contrast  with  the  rash,  impa- 
tient, and   unbelieving  temper  of  the 

people  during  the  same  period. ^  As 

they  shouted.  Targ.  Jon.,  'When  they 
shouted  with  the  noise  of  jubilee  be- 
fore the  calf.' IT  A  noise  of  war  in 

the  camp.  Heb.  ri?2n^?2  ^Ip  kol  mil- 
harnah;  a  phrase  rendered  in  Jer.  50. 22, 
'  the  sound  of  battle.'  The  sounds  that 
struck  his  ear  were  so  different  from 
those  with  which  the  camp  had  thus 
far  been  familiar,  that  he  seems  at  once 


218 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


18  And  he  said,  It  is  not  the  voice 
of  them  that  siiout  for  mastery, 
neither  is  it  the  voice  of  them  that 
cry  for  being  overcome:  but  the 
noise  of  them  that  sing  do  I  hear. 

19  T[  And  it  came  to  pass  as  soon 


to  have  concluded  that  an  attack  had 
been  made  upon  the  host  by  some  of 
the  wandering  tribes  of  the  desert,  and 
that  what  he  heard  was  the  cry  or  shout 
of  onset,  such  as  was  usually  made  by 
an  eager  soldiery  rushing  into  combat. 
But  this  erroneous  report  of  his  senses 
was  soon  corrected. 

18.  It  is  not  the  voice,  &c.  Heb.  '  It 
is  no  voice  of  the  crying  of  strength 
(prowess),  and  it  is  no  voice  of  the 
crying  of  weakness.'  Chal.  '  It  is  not 
the  voice  of  strong  men  which  overcome 
in  the  war,  neither  is  it  the  voice  of 
weak  men  which  are  discomfited' — a 

correct  paraphrase, IT  But  the  noise 

of  them  that  sing  do  I  hear.  That  sing 
in  alternate  or  responsive  strains,  one 
Q\ioix  answering  (msy  annoth)  another, 
as  the  original  properly  implies.  Gr. 
'The  voice  of  them  that  sing  for  wine  ;' 
in  allusion  to  their  revelling  and  riot. 
As  Moses  had  been  instructed  of  God 
as  to  what  the  people  were  now  doing, 
he  could  easily  correct  the  mistaken  ap- 
prehensions of  Joshua. 

19.  And  it  came  to  pass,  &c.  The 
first  effects  of  this  fearful  apostacy  are 
here  related.  They  show  themselves 
in  the  conduct  of  their  returning  leader. 
It  is  recorded  as  a  high  character  of 
Moses  that  he  was  pre-eminent  in  meek- 
ness. Yet  in  his,  as  in  every  other  case 
of  true  meekness,  this  spirit  wrought 
itt  harmonious  cooperation  with  a  live- 
ly and  glowing  zeal  for  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  With  all  his  gentleness  and  pa- 
tience he  could  tolerate  nothing  that 
reflected  or  cast  a  stain  upon  the  divine 
glory.  His  own  insults  and  injuries, 
the  ingratitude  and  disrespect  shown 
to  himself  during  his  absence,  he  could 


as  he  came  nigh  unto  the  camp, 
that  zhe  saw  the  calf,  and  the 
dancing:  and  Moses' anger  waxed 
hot,  and  he  cast  the  tables  out  of 
his  hands,  and  break  them  beneath 
the  mount. 

z  Deut.  9. 16,  17. 


easily  pass  by.     But  not  so  the  offence 
committed  against  God.    This  was  too 
gross,  daring,  and  high-handed  an  in- 
sult  to   the   majesty  of  heaven  not  to 
draw  from  him  the  tokens  of  a  holy  in- 
dignation. Accordingly  as  he  approach- 
ed the  camp  and  beheld  the  congrega- 
tion giving  themselves  up  to  bacchan- 
alian revelries  and  dancing  around  the 
idol  which  they  had  formed,  he  cast  the 
precious  tables  out  of  his   hand  and 
brake  them  to  pieces  at  his  feet.    This 
was  not  done  in  a  paroxysm  of  intem- 
perate wrath,  but  as  a  significant  em- 
blem representing  the  crime  which  they 
had  now  committed.    He  Avas  undoubt- 
edly inwardly  moved  to  it  by  a  prompt- 
ing from  above.    God  had  condescend- 
ed to  enter  into  a  covenant  with  them 
to  be  their  God,  and  they  had  covenant- 
ed to  be  his  people.    These  tables  of 
stone  contained,  as  it  were,  the  terms 
of  agreement ;  and  were  a  pledge,  that 
God  would  fulfil  to  them  all  that  he  had 
spoken.    This  covenant  they  had  en- 
tirely annulled,  and  consequently  all 
their  expectations  from  God  were  utter- 
ly destroyed.    Such  a  mode  therefore 
of  representing  the  transaction,  on  the 
part  of  Moses,  was   perfectly  lawful 
and  right.    Indeed,  so  far  was  his  con- 
duct on  this  occasion  from  being  a  sud- 
den transport  or  sally  even  of  pious 
wrath  in  view  of  the  enormity  of  Is- 
rael's sin,  that  there  is  every  reason  to 
regard  it  as  the  result  of  a  deliberate 
purpose  executed  indeed  by  a  roused 
and  energetic  spirit.    It  is  to  be  recol- 
lected that  he  did  not  first  come  to  th« 
knowledge  of  the  people's  crime,  when 
he  first  came  within  sight  of  the  camp. 
God  had  previously  iufbrmed  him  of  it, 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


219 


20  a  And  he  took  the  calf  which 
they  had  made,  and  burnt  it  m  the 
fire,  and  ground  it  to  powder,  and 

aDeut.  9.21. 

and  it  was  no  doubt  under  divine  dictation 
that  he  resolved  as  he  descended  upon 
the  manner  in  which  he  should  most 
significantly  express  his  own  and  Jeho- 
vah's  sense  of  the  fearful  consequences 
of  their  guilt.  This  was  to  be  done  by 
some  action  performed  in  the  sight  of 
the  host.  Accordingly  instead  of  be- 
ing ordered  to  leave  the  tables  behind 
him  on  the  mount,  he  was  directed  to 
take  them  along  with  him,  that  when 
they  were  broken  before  their  eyes 
they  might  be  more  deeply  affected, 
and  filled  with  confusion  to  think  what 
blessings  they  had  lost.  They  had 
broken  the  covenant  itself,  and  Moses 
as  a  sensible  sign  of  the  awful  fact 
breaks  the  monumental  tables  in  which 
it  was  inscribed.  Nothing  could  more 
solemj^y  indicate  that  their  covenant 
standing  was  wrecked,  and  that  they 
now  lay  exposed  to  the  severest  ven- 
geance of  an  angry  God.  It  is  doubtless 
in  this  view  of  the  transaction  that  we 
find  no  censure  passed  upon  Moses,  nor 
does  he  afterward,  Deut.  9.  17,  speak  of 
it  with  any  regret. 

20.  And  he  took  the  calf,  &c.  The 
zeal  with  which  he  was  inspired  ena- 
bled him  to  face  the  congregation 
with  majestic  authority,  and  to  seize 
and  reduce  to  powder  the  vile  fabri- 
cation of  their  hands.  They  appear  to 
have  been  too  much  overawed  by  his 
presence  to  attempt  any  resistance,  and 
he  proceeded  at  once  in  a  very  striking 
manner  both  to  convince  them  of  their 
sin,  and  to  punish  them  for  it.  He  gives 
them  a  demonstration  of  the  vanity  of 
the  idol  which  they  had  so  stupidly 
worshipped  by  virtually  annihilating  it, 
except  as  a  portion  of  it  remained  as  an 

instrument  of  correction. IT  Ground  I 

it  to  powder.    Heb.  '^nt3"^  yithan.    The 
original    denotes    any  mode    of  com- ! 


Strewed  it  upon  the  water,  and 
made  the  children  of  Israel  drink 
of  It. 

minuting  or  reducing  to  small  particles 
a  hard  substance,  whether  by  filing, 
grinding,  or  any  ether  process  of  abra- 
sion. As  to  the  precise  manner  in 
which  the  effect  was  produced  in  the 
present  instance,  we  are  not  informed. 
We  must  be  left  to  our  own  conjectures, 
aided  only  by  the  dim  light  of  the 
parallel  passage,  Deut.  9.  21,  'And  I 
took  your  sin,  the  calf  which  ye  had 
made,  and  burnt  it  with  fire,  and  stamp- 
ed it,  and  ground  it  very  small,  even 
until  it  was  as  small  as  dust :  and  I  cast-^ 
the  dust  thereof  into  the  brook  that  de- 
scended out  of  the  mount.'  By  its  be- 
ing '  stamped'  we  are  probably  to  infer 
that  it  was  heat  or  hammered  out  into 
thin  plates,  and  from  that  form  re- 
duced to  the  condition  of  a  fine  dust, 
which  might  easily  be  strewed  upon 
the  water.  The  process  would  no  doubt 
require  considerable  time  and  labor ; 
but  he  would  have  numbers  to  assist 
him,  and  no  hypothetical  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  the  result  are  to  be  allowed 
to  countervail  the  express  testimony  of 

revelation  that  such  was  the  fact. 

IT  Made  the  children  of  Israel  to  drink 
of  it.  Not  perhaps  that  he  constrained 
them  to  this ;  but  having  no  other  water 
for  their  daily  use  than  that  of  the  brook 
which  descended  out  of  the  mount,  Ex. 
17.  6.  Deut.  9.  21,  they  could  not  avoid, 
when  they  drank  at  all,  drinking  this 
mixture.  How  suitable  the  punish- 
ment to  the  sin  !  What  greater  in- 
dignity could  be  offered  to  the  worth- 
less idol?  What  more  humiliating  pun- 
ishment could  be  inflicted  upon  the  peo- 
ple, than  to  be  thus  compelled  to  swal- 
low  their  god,  and  to  '  cast  him  out  in- 
to the  draught'  with  their  common  food. 
But  this,  like  the  breaking  the  tables, 
was  an  emblematical  action.  It  not 
only  showed   them  how   utterly  con- 


220 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


21  And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron, 
b  What  did  this  people  unto  thee, 
that  thou  hast  brought  so  great  a 
sin  upon  them  ? 

b  Gen.  20.  9.  &  26.  10. 

tomptible  was  the  idol,  which  could  thus 
be  reduced  so  near  to  nothing,  but  taught 
them  also  in  a  most  impressive  man- 
ner, that  '  the  backslider  in  heart  shall 
be  filled  with  his  own  ways.'  The 
powder  mixed  with  their  drink  '  signi- 
fied to  them  that  the  curse  they  had 
thereby  brought  upon  themselves,  would 
mingle  itself  with  all  their  enjoyments, 
and  embitter  them  ;  that  it  would  enter 
into  their  bowels  like  water,  and  like 
oil  into  their  bones.'    Henry. 

21.  And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  &c. 
Another  painful  duty  still  remained 
to  be  performed  by  Moses.  His  own 
brother  had  been  '  chief  in  the  trans- 
gression,' and  he  is  now  to  be  called  to 
account  and  interrogated  with  a  holy 
sternness.  The  language  in  which  Mo- 
ses addressed  him  might  seem  at  first 
view  to  involve  a  latent  vein  of  irony 
or  satire,  as  if  he  had  inquired  what 
offence  they  had  committed  against 
him,  that  he  should  think  of  avenging 
himself  by  leading  them  into  so  great 
wickedness.  This  would  imply  that  so 
enormous  in  his  eyes  was  the  guilt  of 
the  transaction,  that  it  must  have  re- 
quired some  violent  motive  on  the  part 
of  Aaron  to  prompt  him  to  engage  in 
it.  On  the  common  principles  by  which 
a  servant  of  God  might  be  supposed  to 
be  actuated,  it  seemed  to  him  impossi- 
ble to  account  for  his  conduct,  and  he 
therefore  asks  if  there  were  not  some 
personal  consideration  which  moved 
him  to  the  deed.  This  is  the  view 
taken  of  the  passage  by  Scott  and  other 
commentators,  who  understand  Moses 
as  insinuating  that  the  spirit  of  retalia- 
tion or  revenge  was  at  the  bottom  of 
his  conduct.  But  we  prefer  on  the 
whole  a  simpler  construction   of  the 


22  And  Aaron  said,  Let  not  the 
anger  of  my  lord  wax  hot :  c  thou 
knowest  the  people,  that  they  ai-e 
set  on  mischief. 

c  ch.  14.  11.  &  15.  24.  &  16.  2,  20,  28.  &  17. 
2.  4. 


speaker's    meaning.     We   believe  the 
scope  of  the  question  is  simply  to  in- 
quire, what  were  the  influences  and  in- 
ducements brought  to  bear  upon  liim 
by  the  people,  which  could  prevail  to 
gain  his  consent  to  such  an  abominable 
measure.    If  it  were  possible  for  him  to 
advance  any  thing  which  should  stand 
him  instead  of  an  excuse,  he  was  will- 
ing and  anxious  to  hear  it.     'Did  they 
importune,  or  cajole,  or  threaten  thee  ? 
Make  a  free  confession,  and  solve  the 
problem  of  thy  conduct.'     Yet  it  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  Moses  anticipated 
any  answer    from    Aaron   that    could 
really  excuse  him,  or  explain  away  the 
fact  that  c  great  sin  had  been  actually 
committed.  Whatever  were  his  rij^otives, 
he  had  led  the  people  into  sin,  not  per- 
haps by  being  the  first  mover  of  it,  but 
by  consenting  to  it,  aiding  and  abetting 
it,  when,  as  a  magistrate,  he  should 
have  resisted  and    put  it  down.     He 
might  justly  be  said,  therefore,  to  have 
'  brought  it  upon  them'  by  giving  them 
his  countenance  in  it.    Such  is  the  ten- 
fold power  of  evil,  which  attaches  itself 
to  the  example  of  those  who  stand  high 
in  authority  and  repute  !     In  the  esti- 
mate of  Scripture  Aaron's  conduct  was 
a  virtual  hatred  of   his   people  which 
was  not  to  have  been  expected  except 
from  an  enemy.    Lev.  19.   17,   '  Thou 
shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thine  heart ; 
thou    shalt  in    any  wise    rebuke    thy 
neighbor,  and  shalt  not  suffer  sin  upon 
him.'     This  text  is  an  humbling  com- 
mentary upon  the  proceedings  of  Aaron 
in  this  sad  affair. 

22,  And  Aaron  said,  Let  not,  &c. 
The  reasons  assigned  by  Aaron  for  his 
conduct  are  honest,  but  frivolous.  He 
makes  a  candid  statement  of  the  facts, 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


221 


23  For  they  said  unto  me,  ^  Make 
us  gods  which  shall  go  before  us: 
for  as  for  this  Moses,  the  man  that 
brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  we  Avot  not  what  is  become 
of  him. 

24  And  I  said  unto  them,  whoso- 
ever hath  any  gold,  let  them  break 

d  ver.  1. 

but  leaves  himself  wholly  unjustified  in 
the  premises,  as  may  easily  be  inferred 
from  the  circumstance ,  that  Moses  does 
not  seem  to  regard  it  as  deserving  of  a 
reply.     He  passes  by  the  lame  apology 

without  a  single  word  of  comment. 

IT  Thou  knowest  the  people,  that  they 
are  set  on  mischief.  Heb.  J^ltl  5''^D 
hera  hu,  that  they  are  in  evil;  an  em- 
phatic mode  of  expression  indicating 
that  they  are,  as  it  were,  settled,  sunk, 
immersed  in  evil  or  in  sin.  So,  1  John, 
5,  19,  *The  whole  world  lieth  in  wick- 
edness (in  evil)  ;'  a  phrase  equivalent 
to  being  very  evil,  as  when  it  is  said, 
Ps.  S3.  4,  (Heb.)  'his  words  are  in 
truth,'  the  meaning  is,  that  his  words 
are  pre-eminently  true  and  faithful. 
Gr.  'Thou  knowest  the  violent  force  of 
this  people.'  Yet  how  obvious  even  to 
a  child,  that  the  perverseness  of  the 
people  was  no  apology  for  the  pusillan- 
imity of  their  leader.  Were  they  given 
to  evil  ? — So  much  the  more  needful 
was  it  for  him  to  stem  the  torrent,  and 
by  inflexible  firmness  withstand  the 
workings  of  their  corruptions.  Our  in- 
stinctive sentiments  at  once  respond  to 
the  justice  of  the  divine  judgment  re- 
specting this  affair  as  recorded,  Deut. 
9.  20,  'And  the  Lord  was  very  angry 
with  Aaron  to  have  destroyed  him: 
and  I  prayed  for  Aaron  also  the  same 
time.' 

24.  And  there  came  out  this  calf.  It 
might  perhaps  appear  from  the  letter 
that  Aaron  intended  to  insinuate,  that 
the  calf  was  produced  by  accident,  or 
by  some  invisible  or  magical  operation, 
and  that  he  was  as  much  surprised  at 
19* 


it  off.  So  they  gave  it  me :  then 
I  cast  it  into  the  fire,  and  there 
e  came  out  this  calf. 
25  H  And  when  Moses  saw  that 
the  people  were  f  naked,  (for  Aaron 
ghad  made  them  naked  unto  their 
shame  among  their  enemies,) 

e  ver.  4.    f  oh.  33.  4,  5.    e2  Chron.  28.  19. 

the  result  as  any  one  else  could  be. 
The  Targ.  Jon.  takes  the  same  view 
of  it  ;  'And  I  said  unto  them,  whoso- 
ever hath  gold  let  him  break  it  oiF  and 
give  it  to  me ;  and  I  cast  it  into  the 
fire,  and  Satan  entered  into  it,  and  it 
came  out  in  the  form  of  this  calf.'  But 
it  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  that 
a  man  like  Aaron  should  have  resorted 
to  such  a  silly  and  ridiculous  subter- 
fuge. We  therefore  take  it  as  a  brief 
and  rather  garbled  account  of  the  pro- 
cess  of  formation,  upon  the  details  of 
which  he  did  not  like  to  dwell,  though 
he  would  not  deny  his  agency  in  the 
affair.  He  confesses  that  he  took  the 
gold  and  melted  it,  and  that  the  calf 
was  the  result ;  but  he  excuses  himself 
from  reciting  all  the  particulars  of  the 
process. 

25.  And  when  Moses  saw  that  the 
people  were  naked.  Heb.  3/*iQ  parua, 
from  ^'^'D  para,  to  free,  to  set  loose,  to 
let  break  away,  and  thence  to  fall  into 
disorder,  confusion,  and  exposedness,  a 
state  in  which  one  is  naked  of  defence. 
This  is  probably  the  leading  idea  ;  not 
so  much  that  they  were  denuded  of 
their  garments  or  ornaments,  as  that 
they  were  deprived  by  their  impi- 
ous act  of  the  favorable  presence  and 
protection  of  heaven,  which  was  their 
glory  and  their  strength,  so  that  they 
now  stood  as  naked  unarmed  men  lia- 
ble to  be  surprised  and  put  to  flight  by 
the  weakest  enemy.  It  was  doubtless 
a  conduct  strikingly  exemplifying  the 
truth  of  the  apothegm  nf  one  of  the  Lat- 
in  fathers  ;  '  Non  est  nudus  nisi  quem 
cul|)a  nudaverit,'  ht  only  is  naked  whom 


222 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


26  Then  Moses  stood  in  the  gate 
of  the  camp,  and  said,  Who  is  on 
the  Lord's  side  ?  let  him  come  unto 
me.  And  all  the  sons  of  Levi 
gathered  themselves  together  unto 
him. 

27  And  he  said  unto  them,  Thus 
saith  the  Lokd  God  of  Israel,  Put 


crimt  huth  made  so.  As  the  import, 
however,  of  the  original  word  is  not 
settled  with  absolute  precison,  it  may 
be  that  it  more  properly  denotes  a  dis- 
sipated, dissolute,  disorderly  state,  in 
which  the  people  had  thrown  off  dis- 
cipline and  restraint,  and  given  them- 
selves up  to  every  excess  of  revelling 
and  riot.  Thus  the  Gr.  '  were  dissipat- 
ed, for  Aaron  had  dissipated  them.' 
Parkhurst  renders  it  to  break  loose,  or 
stai't  aside,  as  from  the  true  religion 
and  worship  ;  parallel  to  which  he  says 
is  the  usage  of  the  term,  Prov.  29.  IS. 
'Where  there  is  no  vision  the  people 
perish  (^^tj^  yippard)  j*  rather,  *  the 
people  break  away  or  apostatize,'  or  as 
the  Vulg.  renders,  will  be  dissipated. 
So  2  Chron.  27.  19,  'For  the  Lord 
brought  Judah  low  because  of  Ahaz 
king  of  Israel ;  for  he  made  Judah 
naked.'  Gr.  'Because  lie  utterly  apos- 
tatized  from    the    Lord.' IT   Unto 

their  shame,  Heb.  ri22?3rDp  leshimtza, 
to  infamy;  i.e.  when  the  report  of  their 
foul  revolt  should  spread  abroad.  Chal. 
'To  blot  them  with  an  evil  name  in 
their  generations.  Gr.  'For  Aaron  had 
dissipated  them  for  a  rejoicing  to  their 
adversaries  ;'  i.  e.  so  as  to  give  their  ene- 
mies cause  of  exultation  and  triumph 
over  them. 

26.  Then  Moses  stood  in  the  gate  of 
the  camp,  &c.  Some  place  probably 
about  the  otitskirts  of  the  camp,  answer- 
ing in  a  rude  way  to  the  gate  of  a  city, 
where  courts  of  judgment  were  wont  to 

sit,  hear  causes,  and  give  sentence. 

IT  Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side  ?  let  hi/n 
come  to  me.  Heb.  ^^i^  m(l"ilD  *?2  mi 
Inihovah   tli,    whosoever   (is)   for  the 


every  man  his  sword  by  his  side, 
and  go  in  and  out  from  gate  to  gate 
throughout  the  camp,  and  I'slay 
every  man  his  brother,  and  every 
man  his  companion,  and  every  man 


his  neighbor. 


hNumb.  25,  5.     Deut.  33.  9. 


Lord — to  me  ! — where  the  words  '  let 
him  come'  are  omitted  through  the  im 
passioned  earnestness  of  the  speaker. 
IT  All  the  sons  of  Levi  gathered  them- 
selves together  unto  him.  This  can 
hardly  be  understood  literally,  as  it  is 
clearly  implied,  Deut.  33.  9,  that  some 
of  the  Levites  were  slain,  and  con- 
sequently that  some  of  them  were  in- 
volved in  the  guilt  of  this  transaction. 
By  '  all '  therefore  we  are  to  under- 
stand, perhaps,  that  all  who  did  as- 
semble were  sons  of  Levi,  and  that  of 
them  there  was  a  very  large  number, 

27.  Put  every  man  his  sword  by  his 
side,  &c.  Judgment  was  here  to  be  ex- 
ecuted by  commission,  and  not  by  the 
immediate  hand  of  God  himself,  as  in 
some  other  instances  of  aggravated 
transgression.  It  was  indeed  a  trying 
test  to  which  the  fidelity  of  the  faithful 
was  nov/  to  be  submitted  in  becoming 
the  executioners  of  their  own  brethren, 
and  without  distinction  of  sex,  age,  or 
relation,  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the 
blood  of  those  that  were  most  dear  to 
them.  But  the  offence  was  one  of  the 
most  aggravated  character ;  one  by 
which  the  honor  of  God's  great  name 
had  been  sadly  tarnished  ;  and  in  order 
to  a  more  effectual  vindication  of  it, 
judgment  was  to  be  executed  with  ter- 
rible severity. IT  Go  in  and  out  from 

gate  to  gate  throughout  the  camp.  This 
is  no  doubt  to  be  understood  as  a  com- 
mission to  slay  every  one  whom  they 
should  meet  in  the  open  places  of  the 
camp,  let  him  be  relation,  friend,  or 
neiglibor,  while  they  v.'ere  not  required 
to  enter  into  any  of  the  tents,  inasmuch 
as  those  who  were  sensible  of  the  divine 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIL 


223 


28  And  the  children  of  Levi  did 
according  to  the  word  of  Moses : 
and  there  fell  of  the  people  that 
day  about  three  thousand  men. 

29  'For  Moses  had  said,  Con- 
secrate yourselves  to-day  to  the 
Lord,  even  every  man  upon  his 
son,  and  upon  his  brother ;  that  he 

iNumb.  25.  11,  12,13.  Deut.  13.  6,-11. 
tfe  33.  9,  10.  1  Sam.  15.  18,  22.  Prov.  21,  3. 
Zech.  13.  3.    Malt.  10.  37. 


displeasure  might  be  presumed  to  be 
there  employed  ia  secret  in  bemoanmg 
their  own  or  the  iniquity  of  their  breth- 
ren.  None  were  executed  but  those 
who  openly  and  boldly  stood  forth.- 


5r  Slay  every  man  his  bi'other,  &c. 
That  is,  let  those  who  are  on  the  Lord's 
side  slay  all  the  rest  who  have  apos- 
tatized, even  their  nearest  relations. 

28.  The  children  of  Levi  did  accord- 
ing to  the  word  of  Moses,  Their  num- 
bers were  incomparably  less  than  those 
of  the  rest  of  the  people,  yet  acting  un- 
der and  animated  by  a  divine  commis- 
sion, they  hesitated  not  to  encounter 
them  sword  in  hand.  Their  victims, 
on  the  other  hand,  were  probably  so  dis- 
heartened by  conscious  guilt,  and  so 
confounded  and  intimidated  by  the  au- 
thority of  Moses,  that  they  made  no  re- 
sistance. 

29.  For  Moses  had  said,  he.  This 
discloses  the  reason  of  the  zeal  and 
alacrity  of  the  Levites  in  this  trying 
service.  They  had  been  informed  by 
Moses  that  the  inflicting  of  vengeance 
on  their  guilty  brethren  would  be  a 
service  so  acceptable  to  God,  that  they 
would  by  performing  it  secure  his 
'  blessing '  by  being  confirmed  in  the 
sacerdotal  office,  and  should  by  this 
act, as  it  were,  'consecrate'  and  initiate 
themselves  unto  God  as  by  an  offering 
of  sacrifice.  Accordingly  it  is  said  to 
the  same  purpose,  Deut.  33.  8 — 10, 
'And  of  Levi  he  said,  Let  thy  Thum- 
mim  and  thy  Urim  be  with  thy  holy 
one,  &c.,  who  said  unto  his  father  and 


may  bestow  upon  you  a  blessing 
this  day. 

30  H  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the 
morrow,  that  Moses  said  unto  the 
people,  kYe  have  sinned  a  great 
sin :  and  now  I  will  go  up  unto 
the  Lord  ;  i  peradventure  I  shall 
mmake  an  atonement  for  your 
sin. 

k  1  Sam.  12. 20,  23.  Luke  15.  18.  i2Sam. 
16.  12.    Amos  5.  15.    m  Numb.  25.  13. 

to  his  mother,  I  have  not  seen  him  ; 
neither  did  he  acknowledge  his  breth« 
ren,  nor  know  his  own  children ;  for 
they  have  observed  thy  word  and  kept 
thy  covenant.  They  shall  teach  Jacob 
thy  judgments,  and  Israel  thy  law ;  they 
shall  put  incense  before  thee,  and  whole 
burnt  sacrifice  upon  thine  altars.'  This 
act  of  obedience  was  a  kind  of  inaugur- 
ation, though  a  fearful  one,  of  the  tribe 
into  their  holy  office.  They  thus  wiped 
away  as  it  were  the  stain  which  adhered 
to  the  escutcheon  of  their  tribe  from 
the  conduct  of  their  father  Levi,  v/ho 
had  wielded  his  sword  unto  sin  in  the 
affair  of  the  Shechemites,  Gen.  34.  25, 
in  consequence  of  which  he  lost  the 
blessing  which  would  otherwise  have 
been  conferred  upon  him,  and  which 
the  faithful  and  devoted  conduct  of  his 
sons  may  be  said  to  have  regained. 
IT  Consecrate.  Heb.  fi^DT^  l&^^l^D  milu 
yedkem,  fill  your  hands.  On  the  ap- 
propriate significancy  of  this  term,  see 

Note  on  Ex.  29.  9. IT  That  he  may 

bestow  upon  you  a  blessing.  The  bless- 
ing of  preferment  to  the  rank  of  God's 
special  ministers  in  the  service  of  his 
house. 

30.  Ye  have  sinned  a  great  sin.  From 
this  it  appears  that  all  the  guilty  were 
not  cut  off  by  the  sword  of  the  execu- 
tioners. But  those  who  were  destroy- 
ed were  probably  the  individuals  who 
headed  the  rebellion,  and  of  whom  it 
was  fit  to  make  a  signal  example  in 
order  to  inspire  the  rest  with  a  salutary 
dread.     The  fact  of  their  exemption 


224 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


31  And  Moses  » returned  unto 
the  Lord,  and  said,  Oh,  this  peo- 
ple have  sinned  a  great  sin,  and 
have  omade  them  gods  of  gold. 

32  Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive 

n  Deut.  9. 18.    o  ch.  20.  23. 

from  the  fatal  stroke  might  possibly 
beget,  in  their  minds,  the  persuasion 
that  their  guilt  was  not  of  a  very  deep 
dye  J  but  Moses  here  acquaints  them  to 
the  contrary.  He  assures  them  that  they 
— even  they — had  '  sinned  a  great  sin  ;' 
and  not  only  so,  he  even  expresses 
himself  as  if  he  deemed  it  somewhat 
questionable  whether  it  would  be  con« 
sistent  with  the  honor  of  God  to  grant 
them  forgiveness.  '  I  will  go  up  unto 
the  Lord ;  peradventure  I  shall  make 
an  atonement  for  your  sin.'  He  thought 
he  might  perhaps  be  made  an  instru- 
ment of  reconciliotion;  for  in  no  other 
sense  could  atonement  be  properly  pre- 
dicated of  Aaron's  agency  on  this  oc- 
casion. He  was  not  without  hope,  nor 
yet  was  he  destitute  of  fear ;  accord- 
ingly his  words  were  calculated  to 
preserve  the  people  in  a  due  medium 
between  desponding  dread  and  pre- 
sumptuous confidence.  Such  is  the  usu- 
al style  of  the  Scriptures  in  their  ad- 
dresses to  flagrant  sinners.  Amos,  5. 
15,  '  It  may  be  that  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts  will  be  gracious  unto  the  remnant 
of  Joseph.'  Jonah,  1.  6,  'What  mean- 
est thou,  O  sleeper?  arise,  call  upon 
thy  God,  if  so  be  that  God  will  think 
upon  us,  that  we  perish  not.'  Acts,  8. 
22,  'Repent  therefore  of  this  thy  wick- 
edness, and  pray  God,  if  perhaps  the 
thought  of  thine  heart  may  be  forgiven 
thee.' 

31.  And  Moses  returned.  From  a 
comparison  of  this  with  the  subsequent 
parts  of  the  narrative  we  infer  that  this 
withdrawment  from  the  people  was  not 
the  same  with  that  of  forty  days'  dura- 
tion of  which  Moses  thus  speaks,  Deut. 
9.  18,  'And  I  fell  down  before  the  Lord, 
as  at  the  first,  forty  days    and  forty 


their  sin :  and  if  not,  p  blot  me,  I 
pray  thee,  q  out  of  thy  book  which 
thou  hast  written. 

P  Ps.  69.  28.  Rom.  9.  3.  q  Ps.  56.  8.  & 
139.16.  Dan.  12.  1.  Phil.  4. 3.  Rev.  3.  5. 
&  13.  8.  &  17.  8.  <fc  20. 12,  15.  &  21.  27.  & 
22.  19. 


nights;  I  did  neither  eat  bread,  nor 
drink  water,  because  of  all  your  sins 
which  ye  sinned,  in  doing  wickedly  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord,  to  provoke  him 
to  anger.'  The  train  of  events  is  not 
very  clearly  detailed,  but  we  are  forced 
to  the  conclusion  that  Moses  retired  for 
a  short  time  to  consult  the  Most  High 
once  or  twice  in  the  interval  between 
the  first  and  second  protracted  term 
of  forty  days.  See  the  remarks  upon 
the  order  of  occurrences  in  the  next  chap- 
ter.  tr  Oh,  this  people  have  sinned  a 

great  sin,  &c.  The  impassioned  and 
pathetic  tone  in  which  he  begins  his 
prayer  is  very  remarkable.  He  speaks 
like  one  who  is  overwhelmed  with  hor- 
ror at  the  enormity  of  the  sin,  for  the 
pardon  of  which  he  pleads.  The  Scrip- 
tures deal  but  sparingly  in  such  inter- 
jectional  phrases  as  the  present,  and 
wherever  they  occur  they  indicate  the 
most  profound  emotion  in  the  speaker. 
But  Moses  knew  well,  as  do  all  other 
saints,  that  nothing  is  so  efiicacious  in 
obtaining  mercy  as  deep  humiliation 
before  God. 

32.  Yet  now, if  thou  wilt  forgive  their 
sin.  This  is  an  imperfect  sentence, 
and  ought  undoubtedly  to  be  printed  as 
it  is  in  many  English  editions  of  the 
Bible — 'Yet  now  if  thou  wilt  forgive 
their  sin — ;  if  not,'  &c.  The  Gr.  has,  'If 
thou  wilt  forgive  them  the  sin,  forgive 
them.'  Several  modern  versions  pro- 
pose to  supply  the  ellipsis  in  like  man- 
ner; but  the  suspension  of  the  meaning 
by  such  an  expressive  break  is  far  more 
significant  than  any  word  which  could 

be  introduced  to  fill  it  up. IT  Blot 

me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book;  called 
Ps.  69.  29,  '  the  book  of  the  living ;' 
Phil.  4.  3,  '  the  book  of  life  ;'  Ezek.  13 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


225 


33  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 
ses, r  Whosoever  hath  sinned 
against  me,  him  will  I  blot  out  of 
my  book. 

34  Therefore  now  go,  lead  the 
people  unto  the  place  of  which  I 

rLev.  23.30.     Ezek.  18,  4. 

9,  '  the  writing  of  the  house  of  Israel.' 
The  meaning  is,  let  my  name  be  no 
more  in  the  number  of  those  whom  thou 
hast  destined  to  live  ;  let  me  die  with 
my  people.  For  as  the  phrase,  Is.  4.  3, 
'  to  be  written  with  the  living,'  signifies 
to  be  preserved  alive  while  others  die, 
so  to  be  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  the 
living  is  tantamount  to  being  taken  out 
of  life  while  others  survive.  There  is  no 
intimation  in  these  words  of  any  secret 
book  of  the  divine  decrees,  or  of  any 
thing  involving  the  question  of  Moses' 
final  salvation  or  perdition.  He  simply 
expressed  the  wish  rather  to  die  than  to 
■witness  the  destruction  of  his  people. 
The  phraseology  is  in  allusion,  prob- 
ably, to  the  custom  of  having  the  names 
of  a  community  enrolled  in  a  register, 
and  whenever  one  died,  of  erasing  his 
name  from  the  number. 

33.  Whosoever  hath  sinned  against 
vie,  &c.  This  seems  intended  to  de- 
clare a  general  rule  of  proceeding  in  the 
divine  government,  in  which  an  assur- 
ance is  given  that  the  innocent  shall  not 
be  confounded  with  the  guilty,  but  that 
punishment  should  fall  where  it  was 
justly  due,  and  nowhere  else.  It  was 
in  the  present  case  a  clear  intimation 
of  mercy  to  the  people,  assuring  their 
leader  that  they  should  not  be  destroy- 
ed in  a  body,  but  those  only  who  had 
merited  cutting  off  by  their  sin. 

34.  Behold  mine  Angel  shall  go  be- 
fore thee.  As  the  term  'Angel'  is  m 
several  cases  in  this  narrative  used  as 
synonimous  with  the  Pillar  of  Cloud, 
we  should  naturally  be  led  to  suppose, 
if  the  sequel  were  not  inconsistent  with 
it,  that  the  meaning  here  was,  that  not- 
withstanding their  recent  high  handed 


have  spoken  unto  thee:  'Behold, 
mine  Angel  shall  go  before  thee : 
nevertheless,  *■  in  the  day  when  I 
visit,  I  will  visit  their  sin  upon 
them. 

s  ch.  33.  2,  14,  &c.    Numb.  20.  16.   t  Deut. 
32.  35.     Amos  3.  14.     Rom.  2.  5,  6. 


iniquity,  this  guiding  signal,  this  pro- 
tecting Presence,  should  still  go  with 
them.  But  upon  comparing  the  passage 
before  us  with  the  words  of  Moses,  ch. 
33.  12 — 16,  it  appears  obvious  that  he 
took  the  word  in  a  more  general  sense 
as  simply  indicating  some  kind  of  provi- 
dential agency  which  should  be  exerted 
in  their  behalf  while  pursuing  their 
journey  through  the  wilderness.  That 
this  is  a  legitimate  sense  of  the  word 
'Angel '  any  one  may  be  convinced  by 
referring  to  the  scriptural  use  of  the 
term  as  fully  detailed  in  the  Note  ttn 
Ex.  3.  2.  The  promise,  therefore, 
though  consoling  was  yet  vague.  It 
left  Moses  in  doubt  as  to  the  real  char- 
acter of  the  Angel,  i.e.  agency,  which 
he  was  taught  to  expect.  Accordingly 
in  his  prayer  in  the  ensuing  chapter  he 
earnestly  beseeches  for  more  precise 
information,  and  desires  that  no  other 
than  the  particular  'Angel  of  the  pre- 
sence'  the  majestic  Shekinah,  should 

accompany  them. M  Nevertheless, 

in  the  day  when  I  visit,  I  will  visit 
their  sin  upon  them.  That  is,  when  I 
have  occasion  to  visit  them  in  judg- 
ment for  other  offences,  I  will  remember 
their  sin  on  this  occasion,  and  increase 
their  punishment  on  account  of  it.  Ac- 
cordingly it  has  alw^ays  remained  as  a 
tradition  among  the  Jews,  even  to  the 
present  day,  that  in  whatever  afflictions 
they  have  been  made  to  experience  there 
was  mingled  at  least  an  ounce  of  the 
powder  of  the  golden  calf  The  intima- 
tion conveys  an  important  practica. 
lesson  to  the  people  of  God  in  all  ages. 
The  effects  of  one  sin  may  go  to  en- 
hance the  punishment  of  another,  and 
so  we  piay  have  constant  memorials 


226 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149J. 


35  And  the  Lord  plagued  the 
people,  because  "they  made  the 
calf  which  Aaron  made. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

A  ND  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 
-^  ses,  Depart  and  go  up  hence, 

u  2  Sam.  12.9.     Acts  7.  41. 

of  a  particular  offence  throughout  the 
chastening  discipline  of  a  whole  life. 

35.  And  the  Lord  plagued  the  people, 
&c.  It  is  not  clear  that  this  statement  re- 
fers to  any  particular  plague  or  pesti- 
lence which  occurred  at  this  time  among 
the  people.  It  maybe  understood  of  the 
subsequent  scourges  and  calamities 
which  they  suffered  during  their  so- 
journ in  the  wilderness  as  long  as  Mo- 
ses lived.  In  this  case  it  is  but  another 
mode  of  saying  that  the  threatening 
denounced  in  the  preceding  verse  was 
actually  fulfilled  in  their  after  experi- 
ence as  a  nation.  At  the  same  time,  as 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  order  of  events 
is  very  much  transposed  in  this  part  of 
the  narrative,  there  is  nothing  actually 
to  forbid  the  supposition  that  the  plague 
or  stroke  here  mentioned  is  no  other 
than  the  slaughter  of  the  three  thousand 
recorded  in  the  next  chapter.  Indeed 
we  think  this  on  the  whole  the  prefer- 

able  interpretation. IT  Because  they 

made,  Sec.  That  is,  because  they  caused 
or  procured  to  be  made  ;  a  phraseology 
of  very  frequent  occurrence.  Thus, 
Acts,  1.  18,  Judas  is  said  to  have  pur- 
chased a  field,  which  in  fact,  was  pur- 
chased by  the  priests,  but  it  is  attributed 
to  Judas  because  his  receiving  and  then 
returning  the  money,  was  the  occasion 
of  its  being  bought.  The  originators 
and  procurers  of  evil  are  not  to  promise 
themselves  impunity  because  they  have 
prevailed  upon  others  to  become  their 
tools  in  its  execution.  The  conse- 
quences will  '  return  to  plague  the  in- 
ventors.' God's  judgment  is  always  ac- 
cording to  truth,  and  he  will  charge 
home  guilt  where  it  properly  belongs. 


thou  a  and  the  people  which  thou 
hast  brought  up  out  of  the  land  ol 
Egypt,  unto  the  land  which  I 
sware  unto  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and 
to  Jacob,  saying,  b  Unto  thy  seed 
will  I  give  it: 

a  ch.  32.  7,    b  Gen.  12.  7.  ch.  32.  13. 


'  Deos  qui  rogat,  ille  facit,'  he  who  asks 
for  gods  makes  them. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
The  right  adjustment  of  the  events  of 
this  chapter  in  the  chronological  order 
of  the  narrative,  is  a  matter  attended 
with  some  difficulty.  From  the  render- 
ing of  our  established  version  it  would 
seem,  that  what  was  now  said  to  Moses 
was  posterior  in  point  of  time  to  the  in- 
cidents recorded  in  the  close  of  the  pre- 
ceding chapter;  but  from  an  attentive 
consideration  and  collation  of  the  tenor 
of  the  whole,  we  are  persuaded,  with 
Calvin  and  other  critics  of  note,  that 
the  proper  rendering  of  v.  1,  is  in  the 
pluperfect — '  the  Lord  had  said' — and 
that  the  appropriate  place  for  the  inter- 
view and  incidents  here  related  is  prior 
to  the  order  and  the  promise  contained  v. 
34  of  ch.  32.  In  that  verse  God  declares 
his  purpose  of  sending  his  angel  before 
the  people,  and  we  naturally  enquire 
how  it  happens  that  such  an  assurance 
was  necessary?  Was  there  any  danger 
that  an  angel  would  not  be  sent  ?  Had 
any  intimation  been  given  that  his  guid- 
ing and  protecting  presence  would  be 
withdrawn?  To  this  the  correct  an- 
swer undoubtedly  is,  that  all  that  is  re- 
lated in  ch.  33,  had  occurred  anterior  to 
the  promise  made  in  ch.  32.  34.  God 
had  threatened  to  send  Moses  and  the 
people  forward  without  the  accom- 
panying presence  of  the  Angel  of  the 
Shekinah,  and  it  was  only  in  conse- 
quence of  the  fervent  intercession  ol 
Moses  that  he  was  induced  to  retract  this 
dread  determination.  In  the  foregoing 
chapter,  therefore,  the  historian  merely 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXII]. 


227 


2  cAnd  I  will  send  an  angel  be- 
fore thee ;  ^and  I  will  drive  out  the 
Canaanite,  the  Amorite,  and  the 
Hittite,  and  the  Perizzite,  the  Hi- 
vite,  and  the  Jebusite : 


3  eUnto  a  land  fio%ving  w^ith  milk 
and  honey  :  f  for  I  will  not  go  up 
in  the  midst  of  thee ;  for  thou  art 
a  g  stiff-necked  people:  lest  h I  con- 
sume thee  in  the  way. 


r  ^u   lit  •>!    jt   -lA   11     rf  r>«,,t  "  oo    T.,ci,         «;  ch.  3.  8.     f  ver.  15.  17.    gch.  32.  9.  &34 
c  ch  32.  34.  &  34.  11.   d  Deut.  /.  22.  .Tosh,     g      ^^^^    g    ^^   ^3^    ^  ^j^    ^3  ^^    ^  ^^  j^ 

^^-  ^^  Numb.  1«.  21.45. 


Stales  in  a  summary  way  the  fact  ol  his 
earnest  prayer  and  the  concession  nnade 
to  it ;  in  the  present,  he  goes  back  and 
relates  minutely  the  train  of  circum- 
stances which  preceded  and  led  to  the 
declaration  above  mentioned.  In  doing 
this  he  virtually  makes  known  to  us  one 
main  ground  of  the  urgency  of  his  sup- 
phcations.  He  was  afraid  that  God 
would  withdraw  the  tokens  of  his  vis- 
ible presence.  As  a  punishment  for  the 
mad  attempt  of  the  people  to  supply 
themselves  with  a  false  symbol  of  his 
presence,  he  was  apprehensive  he  might 
be  provoked  to  take  from  them  the  ti'ue, 
and  hence  his  impassioned  entreaty 
that  God  would  not  visit  them  with 
so  sore  a  judgment.  But  the  particu- 
lars will  disclose  themselves  as  we 
proceed. 

1.  And  the  Lord  said.  Heb.  ^inT^I 
mrr^  va-yedabber  Yehovah,  and  Jehovah 
had  said;  as  the  like  phrase  is  often 
elsewhere  to  be  translated.  It  is  only 
the  context  in  such  cases  that  deter- 
mines the  true  mode  of  rendering. 

IT  Depart  and  go  up  hence,  &c.  These 
words,  and  what  immediately  follows, 
appear  to  have  been  spoken  by  God  to 
Moses  during  his  first  sojourn  upon  the 
summit  of  the  mount,  and  vpon  the  oc- 
casion of  the  making  of  the  golden  calf. 
In  sovereign  displeasure  he  turns  the 
people  over,  as  it  were,  upon  Moses, 
whom  he  represents  as  having  brought 
them  out  of  Egypt,  rather  than  him- 
self; and  though  he  promises  to  make 
good  his  covenant  with  Abraham,  and 
give  them  the  land  of  Canaan,  yet  he 
intimates  that  they  shall  go  forward 
without  the  extraordinary  tokens  of  his 


presence  which  they  had  hitherto  en- 
joyed, and  which  would  have  been  con- 
tinued to  them  but  for  their  sin.  Such 
language  imports,  however,  a  reserved 
prerogative  of  change  in  the  dispen- 
sation announced  if  adequate  reasons 
for  it  should  occur. 

2.  And  I  will  send  an  angel  be/ore 
thee.  This  clause  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood as  spoken  to  Moses,  but  is  to  be 
read  in  connexion  with  the  preceding, 
V.  I,  as  a  part  of  the  promise  to  the 
fathers  and  their  seed,  which  God  is 
here  reciting.  The  promise  of  the  emis- 
sary angel  was  not,  indeed,  expressly 
made  to  either  of  the  patriarchs  here 
mentioned,  but  it  was  expressly  made 
to  the  Israelites,  Ex.  23.  20,  and  the 
whole  is  here  brought  together  as  one 
integral  promise. 

3.  For  I  will  not  go  up  in  the  midst 
of  thee,  Sac.  Chal.  ^I  will  not  make  my 
Shekinah  (iriDSD  shekinti)  to  go  up  in 
the  midst  of  thee.'  Arab.  'I  will  not 
make  my  Light  (or  Splendor)  to  go  up 
among  you.'  Having  recited  the  prom- 
ise formerly  made  of  conducting  them 
into  Canaan  by  the  medium  of  the  Angel 
of  his  presence,  or  the  Shekinah,  the 
Lord  here  ostensibly  retracts  his  prom- 
ise and  announces  a  contrary  intention. 
So  perverse,  stiff-necked,  and  rebel- 
lious had  they  proved,  that  they  were 
to  consider  themselves  as  having  for- 
feited the  favor  of  such  a  presence,  and 
as  being  righteously  exposed  to  be  left 
in  utter  destitution  of  the  symbol  of 
their  glory.  Yet  the  well-grounded  re 
mark  of  Scott  is  ever  to  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  '  such  declarations  rather 
express  what  God  justly  might  do,  what 


228 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


4  %  And  when  the  people  heard  i 
these  evil  tidings,  i  they  mourned : 
k  and  no  man  did  put  on  him  his 
ornaments. 

5  For  the  Lord  had   said   unto 
Moses,  Say  unto  the  children  of 

i  Numb.  14.  1,  39.      k  Lev.  10.  6.     2  Sam. 
19.24.  1  Kings  21.  27.  2  Kings  19.  ].   Esther 

4.  1,  4.  Ezra  9.  3.  Job  1.  20.  &  2.  12.  Isai. 
32.11.     Ezek.  24.  17,  23.  &  26.  16. 

it  would  become  him  to  do,  and  what 
he  would  do,  were  it  not  for  some  in- 
tervening consideration,  than  his  irre- 
versible purpose  ;  and  always  imply  a 
reserved  exception,  in  case  the  party 

offending    were    truly    penitent.' 

IT  Lest  I  consume  thee  in  the  way. 
Lest  I  should  be  constrained,,  by  a  just 
regard  to  my  own  glory,  to  come  out 
in  consuming  wrath  against  your  ini- 
quities. 

4,  5.  When  the  people  heard  these 
evil  tidings,  they  mourned.  The  an- 
nouncement was  probably  made  to  the 
people  when  Moses  first  came  down 
from  the  mount,  and  after  breaking  the 
tables  of  stone.  Their  humiliation, 
therefore,  took  place  in  the  interval  be- 
tween the  first  and  second  period  of 
forty  days,  during  which  Moses  with- 
drew himself  from  the  congregation  for 
the  purpose  of  prayer  and  fasting.  The 
effect  produced  showed  that  they  were 
deeply  sensible  of  the  value  of  the 
blessing  which  they  were  likely  to 
lose.  They  were  at  once  filled  with 
grief,  which  expressed  itself  by  the 
usual  external  badges  of  '  mourning,' 
viz.,  divesting  themselves  of  their  or- 
naments, although  it  appears  from  v. 

5,  that  this  was  at  the  same  time  in 
obedience  to  an  express  command  of 
Jehovah.  This  was  not  only  in  order 
that  they  might  evince  the  appropriate 
tokens  of  sorrow  and  humiliation,  but 
also  that  they  could  make  sacrifices  to 
God  as  well  as  to  a  golden  calf  While 
thus  disrobed  of  their  festive  garments 
and  precious  jewels,  and  clad  in  the 
habit  of  penitents,  God  represents  him- 


Israel,  i  Ye  are  a  stiff-necked  peo- 
ple: I  will  come  up  minto  the 
midst  of  thee  in  a  moment,  and 
consume  thee :  therefore  now  put 
off  thy  ornaments  from  thee,  that 
I  may  "  know  what  to  do  unto 
thee. 

1  ver.  3.     m  See  Numb.  16.  45, 46.    n  Deut. 
8.  2.     Vs.  139.  23. 


self  as  deliberating  how  to  act  towards 
them.  But  when  God  speaks  of  him- 
self in  this  language,  as  if  perplexed  and 
wavering  in  his  mind,  it  is  not  to  be  un- 
derstood as  intimating  that  such  things 
actually  exist ;  for  '  known  unto  God 
are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning  of 
the  world  j'  nor  can  any  occasion  pos- 
sibly arise  in  which  he  can  be  at  a  loss 
how  to  act.  But  he  is  pleased  to  speak 
in  this  way  of  himself  in  order  to  ac- 
commodate himself  to  our  feeble  appre- 
hensions. Compare  Hos.  6.  4.  and  Jer. 
3.  19,  where  also  the  Most  High  .speaks 
as  if  perplexed  in  his  mind  about  the 
line  of  conduct  he  should  pursue,  and  as 
wishing  to  show  mercy,  but  not  know- 
ing how  to  do  it  consistently  with  his 
own  honor.  All  this  is  plainly  capable 
of  a  sense  entirely  consistent  with  the 
reverence  due  to  the  Supreme  Being. 
But  while  it  is  intimated  that  so  long 
as  impenitence  continues  he  knows  not 
how  to  exercise  mercy  to  the  sinner, 
it  is  at  the  same  time  implied,  that 
when  once  humbled  for  their  iniquities 
he  is  at  no  loss  how  to  act  towards 
them ;  he  can  then  give  free  scope  to 
the  merciful  and  compassionate  dis- 
position of  his  own  heart.  So  it  is 
clear  that  the  language  in  the  present 
case  implied  a  design  of  mercy,  provid- 
ed they  showed  signs  of  repentance, 
and  as  they  did  demean  themselves  as 
those  who  were  conscious  of  their  de- 
linquencies and  sincerely  mourned,  we 
may  suppose  that  this  fact  added  its 
weight  to  the  fervency  of  Moses'  pray- 
ers to  give  them  prevalence  with  GiA 
in  their  behalf. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


229 


6  And  the  children  of  Israel 
stripped  themselves  of  their  orna- 
ments by  the  mount  Horeb. 

7  And  Moses  took  the  taberna- 
cle, and  pitched  it  without  the 
camp  afar  off  from  the  camp,  «  and 

o  ch.  29.  42,  43. 

a.  By  the  mount  Horcb.  Heb.  ^n^ 
Din  inehar  Horeb,  from  mount  Horeb. 
That  is,  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
it,  as  not  worthy  to  stand  in  immediate 
proximity  to  it.  The  form  of  the  ex- 
pression, however,  in  that  sense  is  so 
singular,  that  we  are  strongly  inclined 
to  regard  the  preposition  '  from'  as  a 
particle  of  time  rather  than  of  place, 
implying  that  from  the  time  of  the  oc- 
currence of  this  transaction  at  Horeb, 
they  divested  themselves  of  their  orna- 
ments, and  continued  to  dispense  with 
them  during  the  remainder  of  their  so- 
journing. Thus  it  is  said.  Num.  14.  19, 
'As  thou  hast  forgiven  this  people /rom 
Egypt  even  until  now;'  i.  e.  from  the  time 
of  their  being  in  Egypt.  Why  may  not 
the  phrase  *  from  Horeb'  in  the  one  in- 
stance be  equivalent  to  '  from  Egypt'  in 
the  other?  See  this  usage  of  speech 
more  fully  illustrated  in  the  Note  on 
Gen.  2.  10. 

7.  And  Moses  took  the  tabernacle,  &c. 
Heb.  insert  ha-ohel,  the  tent.  It  is 
evident  that  the  tabernacle  or  tent  here 
mentioned  could  not  be  that  concerning 
which  Moses  had  before  received  direc- 
tions, for  that  was  not  yet  built ;  nor  is 
it  at  all  probable  that  the  private  tent 
of  Moses  is  to  be  understood,  for  it  ap- 
pears V.  8,  that  Moses  himself  went 
back  and  forth  to  and  from  this  taber- 
nacle as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  congre- 
gation, from  which  it  is  to  be  inferred 
that  he,  as  well  as  they,  ordinarily  re- 
sided within  the  camp.  The  probability 
therefore  is  that  the  Israelites,  previous 
to  the  erection  of  the  prescribed  taber- 
nacle, had  some  kind  of  sacred  tent  or 
portable  temple  for  the  public  perform- 
ance of  religious  rites,  which  Moses, 

Vol.  II.  20 


called  it  the  Tabernacle  of  the 
Congregation.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  that  every  one  which  p  sought 
the  Lord,  went  out  unto  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation,  which 
ivas  without  the  camp. 

PDeut.4.  29.    2  Sam.  21.  1. 


as  an  argument  of  God's  displeasure 
against  Israel,  on  this  occasion,  ordered 
to  be  removed  from  a  camp  so  grossly 
profaned  by  idol-worship.  It  is  in- 
deed objected  to  this,  that  this  taber- 
nacle now  first  began  to  be  honored 
with  a  new  designation,  and  called  ^Hit 
"i5>T?2  ohel  moed,  the  tabernacle  of  con- 
vention,  which  is  inconsistent  with  the 
idea  of  its  having  previously  been  em- 
ployed for  such  a  purpose.  But  to  this 
it  may  be  replied,  that  nothing  forbids 
the  rendering  the  clause  in  the  pluper- 
fect, and  considering  it  as  introduced 
parenthetically — '  And  took  the  taber- 
nacle and  pitched  it  without  the  camp 
afar  off  from  the  camp  (for  he  had 
called  it  the  Tabernacle  of  Conven- 
tion) ;  and  it  came  to  pass,'  &c.  It 
was  so  called  because  such  was  its  ob- 
ject and  use.  It  had  hitherto  served 
this  purpose  in  the  midst  of  the  camp; 
but  now  as  a  sign  of  the  divine  aliena- 
tion and  displeasure,  and  in  order  to 
quicken  and  deepen  their  penitence,  it 
was  to  be  removed  from  its  former  po- 
sition, and  stationed  at  a  distance  from 
a  locality  which  had  forfeited  its  longer 
continuance  upon  it.  The  withdraw- 
ment  was  an  intimation  to  their  senses 
of  the  fact  announced  by  Moses  of  their 
purposed  dereliction  by  Jehovah's  pre- 
sence. He  had  before  promised,  ch. 
25.  8,  to  dwell  among  them,  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  as  the  oracular 
presence  of  the  Deity  was  supposed  to 
be  especially  connected  with  a  tent  or 
tabernacle,  it  may  be  supposed  that 
this  temporary  erection  had  been  pre- 
pared with  that  view,  until  the  larger 
and  more  magnificent  one  designed  by 
God  himself  should  be  built.     But  so 


230 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


P  Jiiid  it  came  to  pass  when  Mo- 
ses went  out  into  the  tabernacle, 
that  all  the  people  rose  up,  and 
«tood  every  man  q  at  his  tent-door, 
and  looked  after  Moses,  until  he 
was  gone  into  the  tabernacle. 

q  Numb.  16.  27. 


aggravated  and  enormous  had  been  the 
offence  recently  committed,  that  the 
Most  High  proceeds  now  to  indicate  in 
a  visible  manner  the  retraction  of  his 
gracious  promise,  and  instead  of  fix- 
ing the  symbols  of  his  presence  in  the 
camp,  to  cause  them  to  be  removed  and 
planted  far  away  from  the  places  which 
liad  contracted  such   foul  defilement. 

IT    Every  one  which   sought    the 

Lord.  Chal.  'Every  one  which  sought 
ioctrine  (or  information)  from  before 
the  face  of  the  Lord — went  forth  to  the 
tabernacle  of  the  house  of  doctrine 
cvhich  was  without  the  camp.'  The 
removal  of  the  tabernacle  took  away 
3f  course  the  facilities  which  the  peo- 
ple had  formerly  enjoyed  for  consult- 
ng  the  divine  oracle.  This  they  could 
10  more  do  in  the  camp,  but  were 
obliged  for  the  purpose  to  go  abroad 
:o  the  place  where  God  was  henceforth 
pleased  to  manifest  his  presence.  It 
IS  evident,  therefore,  that  it  was  not  a 
'ofaZ  withdrawment  of  the  tokens  of  the 
livine  favor.  The  Most  High  s.till  pro- 
claimed himself  willing  to  be  sought 
anto.  Intimations  of  mercy  were  thus 
ningled  with  the  signs  of  displeasure, 
lest  the  spirit  should  faint  before  him 
md  the  souls  which  he  had  made.'  It 
may  still,  however,  be  regarded  as 
probable  that  the  people  here  spoken 
3f  did  not  actually  enter  into  the  taber- 
lacle — a  privilege  apparently  reserved 
for  Moses  alone — but  only  approached 
'otcards  it  themselves,  while  Moses 
atcted  as  their  advocate  in  the  business 
which  had  brought  them  out. 

8.  It  came  to  pass  when  Moses  went 
jut,  &c.  The  particulars  here  men- 
tioned are  not.  as  we  suppose,  to  be  un- 


9  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Bloses 
entered  into  the  tabernacle,  the 
cloudy  pillar  descended  and  stood 
at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
the  LORD  r  talked  with  Moses. 

rch.  25.22.  &  31.  18.     Ps.  99.  7. 

derstood  as  having  occurred  on  one  spe- 
cial occasion  only,  but  as  being  the 
ordinary  accompaniments,  for  several 
days  together,  of  Moses'  ingress  into 
the  sacred  tent  whenever  he  entered 
it.  His  ordinary  residence  was  doubt- 
less in  the  camp  with  his  family,  but 
in  his  office  of  intercessor,  mediator, 
and  judge,  he  had  repeated  occasions 
to  go  forth  to  this  tent  to  hold  inter- 
views with  Jehovah  ;  and  whenever  this 
was  the  case,  as  he  was  acting  on  the 
behalf  of  the  people,  it  was  natural 
that  they  should  watch  with  intense 
solicitude  the  visible  indications  of  the 
issue  of  the  affair.  Thus  the  disciples 
*  looked  after'  our  Lord  Jesus,  when  he 
ascended  on  high  to  enter  into  the  holy 
place  not  made  with  hands,  till  *  a 
cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight, 
as  Moses  here,'  Henry.  The  station 
of  the  tabernacle,  we  think  it  prob- 
able, was  somewhere  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  far  indeed  below  the  summit, 
and  yet  in  some  conspicuous  locality, 
that  might  be  seen  by  most  of  the  mul- 
titude below.  The  topographical  fea- 
tures of  the  region  are  such  that  if  the 
tent  were  without  the  camp  it  must  ne- 
cessarily be  upon  some  elevated  ground, 
as  all  the  valleys  or  wadys  would  of 
course  be  occupied  by  the  tents  of  the 
congregation. 

9.  The  cloudy  pillar  descended  and 
stood  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle,  &c. 
It  descended  from  the  summit  to  the 
less  elevated  part  of  the  mountain 
where  the  Tabernacle  stood.  As  the 
sublime  object  had  probably  remained 
entirely  stationary  for  at  least  forty 
days,  we  can  easily  imagine  that  it 
must  have  produced  a  deep  sensation 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIIL 


231 


10  And  all  the  people  saw  the 
cloudy  pillar  stand  at  the  taber- 
nacle-door: and  all  the  people  rose 


among  the  people  to  see  it  now  again 
majestically  moving  from  its  place,  and 
transferring  itself  down  the  mountain 
to  the  spot  where  the  tent  was  fixed, 
and  where  Moses  had  now  repaired. 
This  would  indeed  verify  the  claim  of 
the  sacred  structure  to  the  title  of 
*  Tabernacle  of  Meeting,'  when  Jeho- 
vah by  his  symbol  was  thus  pleased  to 
meet  with  his  servant  in  this  open  and 
honorary  manner,  in  the  sight  of  the 
awe-struck  host.  The  effect  would  natu- 
rally be  to  inspire  additional  reverence 
for  the  person  and  authority  of  Moses, 
as  one  whom  God  saw  fit  to  distinguish 
by  the  indubitable  seal  of  his  own  selec- 
tion, and  to  endow  with  the  highest  pre- 
rogatives of  a  human  mediator.  The 
descent  of  the  cloudy  pillar  at  the  door 
of  the  tent  would  also  tend  to  assure 
them  that  the  rupture  between  God  and 
his  people  was  not  utterly  past  heal- 
ing. Though  withdrawn,  in  the  with- 
drawing  of  the  Tabernacle,  from  the 
midst  of  them,  he  was  still  accessible. 
With  due  reverence  and  patience  and 
prostration  of  spirit  they  might  still 
approach  him,  notwithstanding  his  of- 
fended majesty  maintained  a  lofty  and 
awful  reserve  which  could  not  but  en- 
gender some  measure  of  trembling  sus- 
pense. Nor  is  such  an  attitude  un- 
wonted to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  He 
often  hides  his  face  from  sinners  that 
he  may  the  more  effectually  incite  them 
to  seek  him  with  broken  hearts.  Un- 
der his  fatherly  chastisement,  therefore, 
we  are  not  to  give  way  so  far  to  the 
promptings  of  terror  or  conscious  guilt 
as  to  forbear  to  seek  him,  but  even 
though  from  afar  to  make  our  earnest 
suit  towards  him.  So  long  as  the  tokens 
of  his  presence  are  not  entirely  remov- 
ed, we  are  not  permitted  to  nourish  our 

despair. IT  And  the  Lord  talked  with 

Moses.    The  words  '  the  Lord'  are  evi- 


up  and  s  worshipped,  every  man 
in  his  tent-door. 


sch.  4.  31. 


dently  supplied,  as  if  there  were  in  the 
original  an  ellipsis  of  the  proper  sub- 
ject of  the  verb.  But  we  have  no  doubt 
that  the  correct  rendering  is  yielded  by 
the  omission  of  this  phrase.  The  writer 
intended  to  say  that  the  cloudy  pillar 
talked  with  Moses  ;  nor  is  any  thing 
farther  necessary  to  justify  the  expres- 
sion than  a  reference  to  the  view,  so 
often  repeated  in  the  preceding  Notes, 
of  the  Shekinah  of  the  Old  Testament 
economy.  The  aerial  column,  as  the 
enclosing  receptacle  of  the  inner  'Glory' 
was  the  symbol  of  the  Lord's  presence 
to  his  people,  and  was  the  visible  organ 
of  the  communication  of  his  will.  In 
this  character  it  bore  the  name,  dis- 
played the  attributes,  and  claimed  the 
honors,  of  Jehovah  himself.  Nothing 
can  be  more  pertinent  to  this  point  than 
the  language  of  the  Psalmist,  Ps.  99.  7, 
'He  spake  to  them  in  the  cloudy  pillar.' 
It  would  be  easy  to  enlarge  upon  this 
explanation,  and  to  show  its  immense 
importance  as  a  clue  to  the  solution  of  a 
multitude  of  passages  which  speak  of 
the  divine  manifestations,  but  the  ex- 
tended Note  at  the  close  of  chapter  14, 
to  which  the  reader  is  referred,  will 
preclude  the  necessity  of  any  fuller  dis- 
cussion of  the  text  before  us. 

10.  All  the  people  rose  up  and  wor- 
shipped, every  man  in  his  tent  door. 
This  is  sometimes  erroneously  inter- 
preted of  the  more  civil  respect  and 
homage  paid  by  the  people  to  Moses  as 
he  passed  by  the  doors  of  their  tents  on 
his  way  to  the  Tabernacle  of  the  Con- 
gregation. It  was  unquestionably  a 
worship  rendered  to  God  in  token  of 
their  devout  and  grateful  acknowlege- 
ment  of  his  goodness  in  restoring  to 
them,  even  though  at  a  distance,  the 
symbol  of  his  gracious  presence.  It 
was  a  virtual  profession  that,  whatever 
had  been  their  past  obliquities,  they 


232 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


11  And  'the  Lord  spake  unto 
Moses  face  to  face,  as  a  man 
speaketh  unto  his  friend.     And  he 

t  Gen.  32.  30.  Numb.  12.  8.  Deut.  34.  10. 

now  considered  him  as  the  only  proper 
object  of  adoration,  and  would  hence- 
forth pay  their  homage  to  him  alone. 
It  was  an  act  of  humble  reverence  very 
naturally  prompted  by  the  circum- 
stances in  which  they  were  placed. 
How  must  their  hearts  have  beat  with 
tremulous  anxiety  as  they  stood  at  their 
tent-doors  and  '  looked  after  Moses  un- 
til he  had  gone  into  the  Tabernacle  !' 
Their  encampment  they  had  so  sadly 
defiled  by  their  sin  that  they  could  not 
but  have  deep  misgivings  whether  Je- 
hovah would  any  more  return  to  them 
or  accept  their  sacrifices,  or  listen  to 
their  prayers  and  praises.  They  could 
not  but  ask  themselves,  whether  he 
would  indeed  meet  Moses  and  them 
that  sought  him  at  the  Tabernacle  with- 
out the  camp.  What  a  relief  then  to 
such  doubts  as  these  to  see  the  cloudy 
pillar  descend !  How  gladdening  to 
their  souls  to  behold  even  this  partial 
intimation  of  the  reconcileableness  of 
their  oflfended  sovereign  !  In  the  honor 
thus  put  upon  their  leader  and  advocate 
they  could  not  but  read  a  token  of  good 
to  themselves.  They  had  put  off  their 
ornaments  in  obedience  to  the  divine 
injunction,  and  now  doubtless  stood 
with  tears  of  repentance  awaiting  the 
indications  of  mercy  or  wrath.  To  the 
joy  of  their  hearts  they  behold  the  sig- 
nal of  favor  and  forgiveness,  and  see 
themselves  spared  in  that  they  feared  ! 
How  then  could  they  fail  to  give  vent 
to  the  admiring  and  adoring  sentiments 
of  their  bosoms  by  falling  down,  as 
prostrate  worshippers,  and  acknowledg- 
ing the  clemency  of  the  Most  High  ! 

11.  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses 
face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  unto  his 
friend.  That  is,  familiarly  and  plain- 
ly, not  in  visions,  dreams,  or  dark  ora- 


turned  again  into  the  camp;  but 
uhis  servant  Joshua  the  son  of 
Nun,  a  young  man,  departed  not 
out  of  the  tabernacle. 


uch.  24.  13. 


cles  —  a  privilege  peculiar  to  Moses; 
Num.  12.  6—8,  '  If  there  be  a  prophet 
among  you,  1  the  Lord  will  make  my- 
self known  unto  him  in  a  vision,  and 
will  speak  unto  him  in  a  dream.  My 
servant  Moses  is  not  so,  who  is  faith- 
ful in  all  my  house.  With  him  will  I 
speak  mouth  to  mouth,  even  apparently 
and  not  in  dark  speeches ;  and  the  sim- 
ilitude of  the  Lord  shall  he  behold.' 
It  is  clear  however,  that  this  must  be 
understood  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  con- 
flict with  what  is  said,  v.  20,  'Thou 
canst  not  see  my  face  ;  for  there  shall 
no  man  see  me  and  live.'  There  is  a 
sense  in  which  God  never  has  been  nor 
can  be  seen.  Comp.  John  1.  8.  Col.  1. 
15.  1  Tim.  6.  16.  Indeed  we  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  a  purely  spirit- 
ual being  can  in  the  nature  of  things  be 
made  visible  to  mortal  eyes.  We  do 
not  even  see  each  other's  spirits.  We 
only  see  the  outward  material  forms 
through  which,  as  a  medium,  the  in- 
ward spirit  manifests  itself.  So  in  the 
present  case.  What  Moses  saw  and 
held  communion  with  was  ndt  God  in 
his  intimate  essence,  but  God  in  his 
sensible  symbol  of  the  Shekinah,  and 
this  as  we  have  before  remarked  is  re- 
peatedly called  his  'Face'  or  'Presence.' 
See  Note  on  Ex.  25.  30.  Understood  in 
this  sense  all  difficulty  vanishes  at 
once,  and  leaves  the  two  passages  in 
entire  harmony  with  each  other. — Chal. 
'  And  God  spake  unto  Moses  word  to 
word.'    Gr.  evuttiov  evoiTriM,  presence  to 

presence. IT  His  servant  Joshua,  the 

son  of  Nun,  a  young  man,  departed  not 
out  of  the  tabernacle.  As  it  is  difficult 
to  conceive  for  what  purpose  Joshua 
could  have  been  required  to  remain  in 
the  Tabernacle  after  Moses  had  left 
it,  there  seems  to  be  good  ground  for 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


233 


12  ^  And  Moses  said  unto  the 
Lord,  See,  ^  thou  sayest  unto  me, 
Bring  up  this  people :  and  thou 
hast  not  let  me  know  whom  thou 


xch.  32.  34. 


adopting  the  rendering  of  Junius  and 
Tremellius,  approved  by  Pool,  Patrick, 
Rivet,  Scott,  and  others,  which  runs 
thus  ; — 'He  turned  again  into  the  camp, 
(he)  and  his  servant  Joshua,  the  son  of 
Nun,  a  young  manj  but  he  (i.e.  the 
Lord,  as  appearing  in  the  cloud)  de- 
parted not  out  of  the  Tabernacle.'  The 
original  will  not  only  admit  of  this  ver- 
sion, but  the  disposition  of  the  accents 
seems  rather  to  require  it.  Add  to  this, 
that  the  phrase  '  out  of  the  tabernacle,' 
is  in  the  Hebrew  '  out  of  the  midst  of 
the  tabernacle,'  which  is  more  cor- 
rectly applicable  to  the  symbol  of  the 
Presence,  for  we  have  no  intimation 
that  any  other  person  than  Moses  went 
into  the  Tabernacle,  who  seems  to  have 
been  alone  admitted  to  the  honor  of 
conversing  with  the  divine  Majesty. 
We  have  little  hesitation  therefore,  on 
the  whole,  in  adopting  this  as  the  true 
sense. — As  to  the  epithet  '  young  man' 
applied  to  Joshua,  it  cannot  be  predi- 
cated of  his  age,  for  he  was  now  about 
fifty-three  years  old ;  but  he  was  a 
young  man  compared  with  Moses,  and 
the  original  term  ^5>D  naar  is  often  ap- 
plied to  one  on  the  ground  of  his  acting 
in  a  ministerial  or  servile  capacity,  as 
is  clearly  shown  in  the  Note  on  Gen. 
14.  24. 

12.  And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord, 
&c.  There  are  few  portions  of  the  en- 
tire Pentateuch  where  it  is  so  difficult 
to  settle  with  precision  the  order  of 
events  as  in  the  narrative  before  us. 
As  to  the  present  interview,  there  can 
be  but  little  doubt  that  it  took  place 
before  Moses  went  to  pass  the  second 
forty  days  in  the  mount,  but  whether  it 
is  to  be  referred  to  the  time  when  he 
interceded  with  God  before  coming 
20* 


wilt  send  with  me.  Yet  thou 
hast  said,  y  I  know  thee  by  name, 
and  thou  hast  also  foimd  grace  in 
my  sight. 

y  ver.  17.    Gen.  18.  19.    Ps.  1.  6.    Jer.  1. 
5.    John  10.  14,  15.    2  Tim.  2.  19. 

down  with  the  tables,  or  to  some  sub- 
sequent date  in  the  interval  betweea 
the  two  forty-days'  sojourns,  is  ques- 
tioned by  commentators.  For  our- 
selves, as  before  remarked,  we  incline 
to  the  cpioion  which  supposes  a  trans- 
position of  events,  and  that  this  prayer 
of  Moses  was  really  offered  at  the  time 
when  he  returned  unto  the  Lord,  ch. 
32.  31,  and  obtained  the  promise  of  an 
emissary  angel,  ch.  32. 34.  But  'Angel,' 
is  a  term  of  large  and  somewhat  indef- 
inite import,  implying  any  kind  of 
providential  agency  by  means  of  which 
Omnipotence  might  see  fit  to  execute 
its  plans.  Moses  therefore  was  desir- 
ous of  more  particular  information. 
He  wished  to  have  the  accompanying 
presence  not  merely  of  an  Angel,  but 
of  the  Angel,  i.  e.  the  Angel  of  the 
divine  Face  ;  the  same  Angel  irhich  had 
hitherto  conducted  their  march  in  the 
Cloudy  Pillar.  In  urging  his  plea  for  the 
bestowment  of  this  blessing,  he  avails 
himself  of  the  interest  which  he  himself 
had  with  God  as  a  special  object  of  his 
favor,  as  one  whom  he  '  knew  by  name,' 
i.  e.  as  a  particular  friend  and  con- 
fidant, rendered  in  the  Gr.  'I  know  thee 
above  all ;'  and  in  the  Arab.  'I  have 
ennobled  thy  name.'  God  had  offered 
to  destroy  the  whole  nation  of  Israel, 
and  raise  up  another  from  Moses'  loins, 
and  this  token  of  good-will  he  lays 
hold  of  as  a  ground  of  hope  that  the 
object  of  his  entreaty  would  not  be  de- 
nied him.  It  is  not  indeed  to  be  sup- 
posed that  in  using  this  language  Mo- 
ses claimed  a  degree  of  personal  merit 
sufficient  to  be  the  foundation  of  such 
a  request,  but  he  knew  that  one  favor 
on  the  part  of  God  was  a  pledge  and 
precursor  of  others,  and  probably  the 


234 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


13  Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee, 
zif  I  have  found  grace  in  thy  sight, 
a  shew  me  now  thy  way,  that  I 
may  know  thee,  that  I  may  find 

zch.  34.9.  *Ps.25.  4.  &27. 11.  &  66.  11. 
&  119.  33. 


very  fact  that  he,  notwithstanding  his 
unworthiness,  had  been  so  graciously 
dealt  with,  was  the  moving  cause  of 
his  earnest  petition  for  still  farther 
manifestations  of  his  kindness  and  care. 
As  God  had  been  good  to  him  in  de- 
spite of  his  deserts,  why  might  he  not 
sue  for  augmented  acts  of  clemency? 

13.  Shew  me  now  thy  way.  That  is, 
show  me  the  way  in  which  thou  wouldst 
have  thy  people  conducted  to  their  in- 
heritance. Show  me  thy  views  and 
purposes,  thine  intended  ways  of  acting 
and  thy  requirements  of  me  in  refer- 
ence to  this  great  object.  Gr.  c<i(bai'tr}-uv 
fioi  ceavTov,  discover  thyself  to  me. 
Chal.  'Show  me  the  way  of  thy  good- 
ness.' Arab.  'Show  me  the  ways  of 
thy  good-will.'     Sam.  'Show  me   thy 

ways.' IT    That   I  may  know  thee, 

that  I  may  find  grace  in  thy  sight.  It 
will  be  observed  that  the  plea  here  is 
peculiar,  and  the  logic  such  as  can  be 
fully  appreciated  only  by  a  pious  heart. 
He  makes  the  fact  of  his  having  found 
grace  already  an  argument  for  his  find- 
ing still  more.  'Lord,  if  it  be  so  that 
I  have  indeed  found  acceptance  with 
thee,  then  may  I  not  confidently  im- 
plore of  thee  that  thou  wouldst  naani- 
fest  thy  mind  and  will  to  thy  servant, 
so  that  in  obeying  it,  I  may  continue  to 
experience  the  uninterrupted  and  grow- 
ing  exhibitions  of  thj'^  favor  towards 
me.  Grant  me  light  that  I  may  con- 
tinue to  yield  thee  love.^ IT  Consider 

that  this  nation  is  thy  people.  In  the 
spirit  of  true  prayer  he  presses  into  his 
service  every  argument  that  can  in- 
crease the  cogency  of  his  plea.  He 
does  not  beg  th^  desired  favor  merely 


grace   in   thy  sight :  and  consider 
tiiat  this  nation  J5  ^  thy  people. 

14  And  he  said,  cMy  presence 
shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give 
thee  d  rest. 

b  Deut.  9.  26,  29.  Joel  2.  17.  cch.  13.  21. 
&  40.  34,-38,  Isai.  63.  9.  dDeut.  3.  20. 
Josh.  21.  44.  <fc  22.  4.  «fe  23.  1 .     Ps.  95.  1 1. 


on  the  ground  of  what  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  urge  on  his  own  account,  but 
he  reminds  the  Most  High  that  the  peo- 
ple of  whom  he  was  constituted  leader 
stood  in  a  peculiar  relation  to  him  their 
covenant  God  and  Portion.  He  had 
chosen  their  fathers,  he  had  delivered 
them  from  bondage,  he  had  adopt- 
ed them  as  his  own,  he  had  crowned 
them  with  precious  promises,  and  by 
all  the  ties  which  bound  them  to  him- 
self he  beseeches  that  he  would  not 
leave  nor  cast  them  off.  Though  ut- 
terly unworthy,  yet  consider  that  they 
are  thine. 

14.  And  he  said,  My  presence  shall 
go  with  thee.  Heb.  1!^^"^  ^^DS  panai 
y'tli'kii,  my  face  shall  go.  Chal.  'My 
Majesty  ("inj^lD  shekinti,  my  Sheki- 
nah)  shall  go,'  Arab.  'My  Light  (or 
Splendor)  shall  walk  with  thee  until 
I  cause  thee  to  rest.'  The  praj^er  of 
Moses  at  length  prevails.  Jehovah 
vouchsafes  to  him  a  definite  assurance, 
that  the  object  of  his  suit,  viz.,  the 
same  visible  symbol  of  the  divine  pre- 
sence which  they  had  hitherto  enjoyed, 
should  be  granted  to  accompany  the 
host  in  their  onward  march  to  Canaan. 
More  than  this  they  did  not  need,  and 
less  than  this  could  never  satisfy  one 
who  had  thus  experienced  the  divine 
guidance  and  protection.  This  Presence 
was  in  truth  no  other  than  what  is  call- 
ed. Is.  63.  9,  '  the  Angel  of  God's  pres- 
ence,' who  saved,  sustained,  and  guided 
the  chosen  people  all  the  days  of  old. 
As  to  the  relation  which  this  Presence- 
angel  bore  to  Christ  in  his  human  mani- 
festation, see  the  Note  on  the  Cloudy 
Pillar  at  the   close  of  the   thirteenth 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


235 


15  And  he  said  unto  him,  « If  thy 
presence  go  not  with  me,  carry  us 
not  up  hence. 

16  For  wherein  shall  it  be  known 
here  that  I  and  thy  people  have 
found  grace  in  thy  sight?  ^ Is  it 
not  in  that  thou  goest  with  us? 

e  ver.  3.     ch.  34.  9.     f  Numb.  14.  14. 


chapter. ^  And  I  will  give  thee  rest. 

That  is,  by  subduing  all  thiue  enemies 
and  planliug  thee  in  triumph  in  the  land 
of"  promise — a  promise  made,  however, 
not  to  Moses  in  person,  but  to  the  col- 
lective people.  It  is  in  feet  the  Pres- 
ence who  is  speaking,  for  it  was  with 
the  SheUinah  that  Moses  held  inter- 
course throughout  the  whole  of  the  time 
embraced  in  this  narrative. 

15.  If  thy  presence  go  Jiot,  Sue.  Heb. 
t'^^i)."!  "^■^^S  V^  '^^  ^'"^  *^^  pan'ika 
holekim,  if  thy  face  do  not  go.  If  we 
have  not  the  peculiar  manifestation  of 
thy  presence  through  the  wonted  me- 
dium, carry  us  not  up  hence.  Without 
this  it  were  better  that  they  should  re- 
main, even  at  the  hazard  of  eventually 
wasting  away,  in  the  desert.  With 
several  commentators  we  take  this  and 
the  following  verse  to  have  been  utter- 
ed by  Moses  before  God  gave  him  the 
promise  in  the  verse  preceding.  The 
proper  translation  of  the  opening  clause 
we  have  little  doubt  is,  'For  Moses  had 
said,  &c.'  The  words  are  intended  to 
discover  to  us  the  reason  of  God's  giv- 
ing him  the  specific  promise.  It  was 
because  Moses  had  made  a  specific  re- 
quest to  that  effect.  Otherwise,  we 
cannot  see  a  sufficient  ground  for  his 
so  urgently  renewing  the  petition  when 
God  had  just  engaged  to  grant  it.  W^as 
it  decorous  in  him  to  speak  as  if  he 
doubted  whether  Jehovah  were  really 
in  earnest  in  what  he  promised  ?  As 
to  V.  17,  which  might  seem  at  first  view 
to  conflict  with  this  suggestion,  Ave  re- 
gard it  as  merely  Moses'  own  record. 


So  g  shall  we  be  separated,  I  and 
thy  people,  from  all  the  people 
that  are  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

17  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 
ses, hi  will  do  this  thing  also  that 
thou  hast  spoken:  for    thou  hast 

gch.  34.  10.  Deut.  4.  7,  34.  2  Sam.  7.  23 
1  Kings  8.  53.  Ps.  147.  20.  hGen.  19.21. 
James  5.  16. 


slightly  varied,  of  what  God  had  said, 
V.  14.  As  that  answer  had  come  in  a 
little  out  of  place,  he  here  recites  the 
substance  of  it  again.  We  feel  on  the 
whole  quite  satisfied  that  all  the  con- 
versation we  are  now  considering  tran. 
spired  before  Moses  came  down  from 
the  interview  recorded,  ch.  32.  31 — 35 
It  was  on  tlie  same  occasion  also  that 
he  besought  a  view  of  the  divine  glory, 
though  the  mention  of  it  was  omitted 
in  its  proper  connexions.  Nothing  is 
more  common  than  a  similar  usage  of 
transposition  among  the  sacred  wri- 
ters.  IT   So  shall  we  be  separated. 

Heb.  i;"')353  niphlinu,  gloriously  or 
marvellously  separated;  as  the  term  is 
explained  at  length  in  the  Note  on  Ex. 

8.  22.  Gr.  EvSo^nodrjco^iai  fyoj  te  Kai  h 
Xttoj  trov^  I  shall  be  glorified  and  also 
thy  people.  The  guidance  of  the  Pillar 
of  Cloud,  as  the  sensible  representative 
of  the  God  of  Israel,  was  the  grand  and 
glorious  prerogative  that  distinguished 
them  from  all  other  people.  The  daily 
supply  of  manna  was  indeed  a  miracu. 
lous  token  of  the  divine  regard,  but  it 
was'not  so  strikingly,  so  signally,  su- 
pernatural as  the  mystic  aerial  column' 
brightening  into  a  fiery  pillar  by  night, 
and  darkening  into  a  majestic  cloud  by 
day.  It  was  not,  however,  merely  as  a 
splendid  visible  phenomenon  that  Mo- 
ses prized  its  presence.  It  was  because 
Jehovah  was  in  it.  The  virtue  of  his  in- 
effable name  ;  the  efficacy  of  his  attri- 
butes ;  the  demonstration  of  his  god- 
head ;  the  preintimative  shadow  and 
symbol  of  his  Son,  was  in  it,  and  it 


'^36 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


found  grace  in  my  sight,  and  il 
know  thee  by  name. 


i  ver.  12. 


was  mainly  this  which  gave  it  value 
in  his  eyes. 

IS.  A7id  he  said,  1  beseech  thee,  show 
me  thy  glory.  Heb.  ^^^3  DS^  5^3  '^Di^lH 
har'eni  na  eth  kebodeka,  make  me  I  pi-ay 
thee  to  see  thy  glory.  Gr.  Ej^ifpavicov  jxni 
ceavTov,  manifest  or  display  thyself  to 
me.  Arab.  'Show  me  even  thy  Light 
(or  Splendor) .'  The  request  of  Moses, 
couched  in  these  words,  involves  con- 
siderations of  a  deep  and  mysterious 
nature,  before  which  we  are  instinctive- 
ly prompted  to  shrink  back  abashed, 
with  covered  face  and  a  soul  filled  with 
awe.  Yet  as  it  forms  a  part  of  the  sacred 
record,  and  was  doubtless  intended  to 
be  understood  by  those  for  whose  bene- 
fit it  was  written,  we  may  humbly  essay 
to  ascertain  the  true  import  of  the  re- 
quest,  together  with  that  of  the  answer 
made  to  it.  In  stating  then  our  im- 
pressions of  the  drift  of  these  words,  we 
do  not  hesitate  to  believe,  that  Moses, 
in  beseeching  that  God  would  grant  him 
a  view  of  his  glory,  had  respect  prima- 
rily to  divisible  glory,  something  which 
r;ould  be  seen  with  the  bodily  eyes, 
and  not  merely  to  a  perception  of  the 
divine  essence  or  an  inward,  mental,  or 
spiritual  apprehension  of  the  divine  at- 
tributes. We  do  not  say  that  the  ob- 
ject of  his  request  was  exclusive  of  such 
an  inward  sense  or  discovery  of  the 
divine  perfections  as  we  should  perhaps 
most  naturally  connect  with  a  sight  of 
the  glory  of  God  j  but  we  are  still  satis- 
fied from  the  context  that  the  prominent 
idea  conveyed  in  the  words  of  Moses' 
request  is  that  of  a  sensible  manifesta- 
tion of  the  divine  glory.  From  what 
he  had  already  seen  of  the  previous 
theophanies  vouchsafed  to  him,  and 
probably  also  from  what  he  had  heard 
of  similar  discoveries  made  to  others, 
he  was  no  doubt  led  to  suppose  that 
there  was  something  still  behind — some 


18  And  he  said,  I  beseech  thee, 
shew  me  k  thy  glory. 

k  ver.  20.     1  Tim.  6.  16. 

ineffable  brightness,  or  beauty,  or  ma- 
jesty, — immensely  transcending  all  that 
he  had  hitherto  been  permitted  to  wit- 
ness. He  doubtless  felt  that  he  had 
not  yet  been  favored  to  behold  or  un- 
derstand all  that  was  involved  in  the 
wondrous  symbol  of  the  Shekinah. 
With  its  daily  sombre  aspect  and  its 
nightly  effulgence  his  senses  were  in- 
deed familiar  ;  but  he  was  assured  with- 
in himself  that  he  had  never  been  ena- 
bled to  penetrate  fully  its  hidden  re- 
cesses. Neither  his  eyes  nor  his  mind 
had  pierced  to  its  central  myster)^  Ac- 
cordingly he  here  expresses  an  earnest 
wish  to  be  favored  with  a  deeper  in- 
sight into  tliis  marvellous  and  mystic 
object.  He  would  be  made  acquainted 
with  the  nucleus  enwrapped  in  such  a 
splendid  envelope.  And  having  thus 
far  prevailed  with  God  by  his  fervent 
intercession  on  behalf  of  the  people,  he 
is  emboldened  to  go  still  farther  in  his 
request,  making  one  concession  an  ar- 
gument for  seeking  another.  Whether 
he  conceived  that  any  corporeal  sem- 
blance would  be  developed  to  his  vision, 
we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  ;  but 
we  believe  he  had  some  dim  and  shad- 
owy impression  that  the  mystery  of 
the  Shekinah  had  a  close  relation  to 
the  mystery  of  redemption,  and  that 
a  preintimation  of  the  future  glorious 
manifested  person  of  the  Messiah  was 
in  some  way  couched  in  this  sublime 
symbol.  And  in  this  we  cannot  ques- 
tion that  he  was  right.  The  glory  of 
the  Shekinah  was  the  Old  Testament 
manifestation  of  Christ.  He  was  its 
inner  essence.  It  was  he  who  was  the 
true  Face  or  Presence  of  Jehovah,  and 
as  we  have  before  remarked  vol.  I.  p. 
167,  one  grand  object  of  the  Savior's 
transfiguration  on  the  mount  was  to 
afford  evidence  to  the  senses  of  the 
identity  of  his  glory  with  that  of  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


237 


19  And  he  said,  il  will  make  all 
my  goodness  pass  before  thee,  and 
r  will  proclaim  the  name  of  the 
Lord  before  thee ;  ^  and  will  be 

ich.  34.  5,  6,  7.  Jer.  31.  14.  m  Rom.  9. 
15,  16,  18. 

ancient  Shekinah.  Of  this  truth  Moses 
had  undoubtedly  a  very  vague  and  in- 
adequate conception,  and  yet  the  little 
that  he  did  apprehend  of  it  only  stimu- 
lated his  desire  for  fuller  disclosures. 
In  the  answer  which  God  returned,  and 
the  partial  compliance  which  he  yield- 
ed, we  seem  to  read  a  virtual  allow- 
ance of  the  justness  of  his  main  im- 
pression, grounded  no  doubt  upon  the 
fact,  that  it  was  God's  design  from  all 
eternity  to  appear  to  the  bodily  eyes  of 
his  saints  in  a  visible  external  glory  in 
the  person  of  Christ  as  God-man  me- 
diator. Of  this  fact  all  the  sensible 
manifestations  which  he  had  made  to 
Moses  and  other  holy  men  were  pre- 
sages and  pledges.  Their  full  import 
indeed  had  never  been  understood,  nor 
was  it  possible  that  it  should  be ;  yet 
Moses  was  led  to  think  it  possible  that 
he  might  be  more  largely  informed  up- 
on the  subject  than  he  had  ever  yet 
been,  and  God  sesms  not  to  have  been 
displeased  with  his  desire.  Yet  he  is 
told  that  so  long  as  he  was  in  the  flesh 
it  could  not  be  gratified  to  its  full  ex- 
tent. The  revelation  vouchsafed  must 
be  governed  by  the  measure  of  his  ability 
to  receive  it,  and  by  the  useful  ends  to 
be  answered  by  it.  Accordingly  in  the 
reply  Jehovah  says ; 

19.  I  will  make  all  my  goodness  pass 
before  thee.    Heb.  "imtS  ^5  kol  toobi. 

Gr.  i7apa\£v<T0iJiai  irpoTtpoq  aov  rrj  io^ri  jxov, 
I  will  pass  by  before  thee  with  my  Glory; 
from  which  it  would  appear  that  the 
Seventy  regarded  the  expression  as  hav- 
ing reference  to  a  sensible  and  not  mere- 
ly a  mental  manifestation.  So  also  the 
Arab.  '  I  will  make  all  my  Light  (or 
Splendor)  to  pass  by  in  thy  presence.' 
The  Syriac,  however,  has  '  all  my  bless- 


n  gracious  to  whom  I  will  be  gra- 
cious, and  will  shew  mercy  to 
whom  I  will  shew  mercy. 


nRom.  4.  4,  16. 


edness,'  and  the  Chal.  retains  the  Heb. 
'  goodness.'  The  true  import  of  the 
original,  therefore,  remains  to  be  ac- 
curately weighed  ;  and  this  can  only  be 
done  by  a  reference  to  dominant  usage. 
The  radical  HTD  tob,  good,  as  an  ad* 
jective  is  expressly  used  in  reference 
to  personal  qualities  which  address 
themselves  to  the  eye,  and  to  which  in 
English  we  apply  the  epithet  goodly. 
Thus  it  is  said  of  Joseph,  Gen.  39.  6. 
that  he  was  '  goodly  and  well-favored,' 
and  so  of  Moses,  Ex.  2.  2,  that  he  was 
'  a  goodly  child.'  Indeed  one  of  the 
most  common  applications  of  the  word 
in  this  form  is  to  those  properties  of 
objects  which  come  within  the  cog- 
nisance of  the  outward  senses,  as  any 
one  may  be  satisfied  who  will  refer 
either  to  a  Hebrew  or  English  Con- 
cordance. The  same  idea  is  perhaps 
still  more  prominent  in  the  abstract 
substantive  D1t3  toob,  goodness,  which 
is  a  designation  for  whatever  strikes 
the  senses  as  pleasant,  agreeable,  beau- 
tiful, precious.  Thus  Gen.  24. 10,  'And 
the  servant  took  ten  camels  of  the 
camels  of  his  master,  and  departed ; 
for  all  the  goods  (I2lt3)  of  his  were  in 
his  hand  ;'  where  we  have  endeavored 
to  show  in  our  Note  that  the  term  is 
used  to  denote  the  rich,  choice,  and 
precious  things  which  the  servant  took 
from  his  master's  effects  for  a  present 
to  Rebekah  and  her  family.  Gen.  45. 
18,  '  1  will  give  you  the  good  (lQlt3)  of 
the  land  of  Egypt ;'  i.  e.  the  choicest 
and  best  parts.  Deut.  6.  10,  11,  'To 
give  thee  great  and  goodly  (tllin)  cities 
which  thou  buildedst  not,  and  houses 
full  of  all  good  things  (Tl'D)  which 
thou  filledst  not,'  &c.  Is.  1.  19,  *  If  ye 
be  willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat 


238 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


the  good  (mit:)  of  the  land.'  In  all 
these  cases  it  is  evident  that  the  lead- 
ing import  of  the  ternn  is  that  oi sensible 
or  physical  good,  and  not  of  a  moral 
attribute  so  denominated,  which  is  more 
frequently  expressed  by  the  term  HOn 
hesed,  as  in  ch.  34.  6,—'  the  Lord  God, 
merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering, 
and  abundant  in  goodness  (IDn)  and 
truth,'  &c.  Nor,  in  reference  to  the 
present  passage,  does  it  by  any  means 
appear  how  a  moral  attribute  could  be 
properly  said  to  pass  by  or  before  any 
one.  Yet  it  cannot  be  questioned  that 
in  other  connexions,  though  of  rare  oc- 
currence, the  sense  of  moral  goodness 
or  benignity  is  conveyed  by  the  term, 
or  more  properly  the  fruits  of  such  an 
attribute,  as  Ps.  31.  20.— 145.  7.  Is. 
63.  7.  Now  in  the  present  instance,  if 
the  answer  of  Jehovah  might  be  sup- 
posed to  be  governed  by  the  tenor  of 
Moses'  request,  we  should  naturally 
expect  that  the  favor  promised  to  be 
granted  would  be  something  which 
should  in  some  way  address  itself  to 
the  senses  of  the  petitioner  ;  for  it  was 
doubtless  mainly  a  sensible  revelation 
which  he  desired  to  have  made  to  him. 
His  request  was  '  make  me  see  thy 
glory ;'  and  in  the  answer  to  this,  v. 
22,  it  is  said,  'It  shall  come  to  pass, 
while  my  glory  passeth  by,'  &c.,  but  in 
the  verse  before  us  God  says,  '  I  will 
make  all  my  goodness  pass  before  thee.' 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  display 
of  the  '  goodness'  and  the  '  glory'  is 
identical,  and  as  the  latter  implies 
something  addressed  to  the  senses,  so 
also  does  the  former.  We  infer  then 
thai  the  leading  idea  conveyed  by  the 
term  DTD  goodness  in  the  connexion  is 
that  of  something  superlatively  fair, 
oeautiful,  exquisite,  excellent,  splendid 
— whatever  in  fine  could  enter  the  con- 
ception of  the  most  transcendant  and 
glorious  rwi6?e  display  which  the  Deity 
could  make  of  himself  to  human  vision. 
At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  granted 
that  the  mental    transition  from  this 


grosser  sense  of  the  term  'goodness,' 
in  its  present  connexion,  to  that  of  the 
combination  of  moral  qualities  so  de- 
nominated, is  easy  and  natural,  and  al- 
most necessary.  The  most  gorgeous 
and  dazzling  exhibition  of  a  merely 
sensible  glory  would  leave  the  mind  un- 
satisfied, except  so  far  as  it  could  be 
regarded  as  a  kind  of  outward  reflec- 
tion of  mental  and  moral  attributes  of 
corresponding  character.  In  like  man- 
ner, the  external  forms  of  beauty  in  the 
works  both  of  nature  and  art  produce  a 
powerful  effect  upon  us  only  as  we  see 
reflected  in  them  the  emanations  of  in- 
tellectual and  moral  properties. 

We  doubt  not,  therefore,  that  there 
was  in  these  words  of  Jehovah  a  latent 
implication,  that  the  exhibition  about 
to  be  made  to  his  servant  should  involve 
something  more  than  a  splendid  phe- 
nomenon addressed  to  the  outward  eye. 
A  glorious  though  partial  disclosure 
should  indeed  be  made  to  his  sight ; 
but  he  should  withal  be  enabled  by 
means  of  a  supernatural  illumination 
to  pierce  beyond  the  sensuous  imagery, 
and  comprehend  its  interior  meaning. 
He  should  have  a  mental  perception  of 
those  divine  perfections  which  were 
so  illustriously  displayed  in  connexion 
with  the  sublime  spectacle  of  the  She- 
kinah,  and  the  objects  for  which  it 
was  granted  to  the  chosen  people. 
The  record  of  the  facts,  as  given  in 
the  ensuing  chapter,  show  conclusively 
that  this  is  the  true  import  of  the  de- 
claration before  us. IT  I  will  pro- 
claim the  name  of  the  Lord  before  thee. 
Heb.  '^'^35^  nin^i  CTZJn  '^DJ^^p  karathi 
beshem  Yehovah  lepaneka,  I  will  call  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah  before  thee.  The 
sense  is  no  doubt  substantially  given  in 
our  version,  viz.,  that  he  would  pro- 
claim the  name,  or  in  other  words 
would  declare  the  nature,  the  char- 
acter, which  was  always  to  be  associ- 
ated in  their  minds  with  the  august  de- 
nomination, Jehovah.  He  would  make 
it  known  as  implying  or  carrying  with 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


239 


20  And  he  said,  Thou  canst  not 
see  my  face:  for  o  there  shall  no 
man  see  me  and  live. 

oGen.  32.  30.  Deut.  5.  24.  Judg.  6.  22  & 
13.22.  Isai.  6.  5.  Kev.  1.  16,  17.  beech. 
24.  10. 

it  the  exercise  of  a  holy  sovereignty  in 
the  bestowment  of  grace  and  mercy  up- 
on  such  objects  as  to  him  seemed  good. 
The  meaning  therefore  is  ;  '  I  will  pro- 
claim myself  in  passing  by  thee  as  the 
Lord  whose  prerogative  it  is  to  be  gra- 
cious 10  whom  I  will  be  gracious^  and 
to  have  mercy  upon  whom  I  will  have 
mercy.  This  shall  be  the  substance  of 
what  I  will  proclaim  respecting  the  im- 
port of  that  great  and  fearful  name.' 
The  clause  thus  understood  is  therefore 
a  mere  brief  compend  of  the  more  ex- 
panded declaration,  ch.  34.  6,  7.  It  is 
to  be  observed, however,  that  some  crit- 
ics take  these  words  simply  as  yield- 
ing a  reason  for  compliance  with  Moses' 
request.  As  such  a  supernatural  mani- 
festation of  himself  to  any  person  was 
a  special  favor  on  the  part  of  Jehovah, 
to  which  no  one  could  lay  claim  as  a 
right ;  therefore  the  scope  of  the  clause 
they  think  is  to  preclude  any  objection 
to  his  thus  distinguishing  Moses  rather 
than  any  other  of  the  Israelites,  or  the 
Israelites  themselves,  rather  than  any 
other  nation.  With  them  accordingly 
the  '  and'  is  equivalent  to  '  for.'  '  I  will 
make  all  my  goodness  to  pass  before 
thee,  &c.,  for  it  is  my  prerogative  to 
show  favors  of  this  kind  to  whomsoever 
I  will.'  For  ourselves  we  prefer  the 
former  interpretation. 

20.  Thou  canst  not  see  my  face,  &c. 
That  is,  thou  canst  not  fully  and  ade- 
quately see  ;  thou  canst  not,  in  thy  mor- 
tal state,  receive  the  full  unclouded  blaze 
of  glory  which  constitutes  the  visible 
symbol  of  my  face  or  presence.  It  is 
remarkable  that  one  of  the  Rabbinical 
writers  speaks  thus  upon  the  text  before 
us ;  'Of  that  divine  glory  mentioned 
m  the  Scriptures,  there  is  one  degree 


21  And  the  Lord  said,  Behold 
Mere  is  a  place  by  me,  and  thou 
shalt  stand  upon  a  rock: 

22  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
while  my  glory  passe  th  by,  that  I 


which  the  eyes  of  the  prophets  were 
able  to  explore ;  another  which  all  the 
Israelites  saw,  as  the  cloud  and  con- 
suming fire  ;  the  third  is  so  bright  and 
so  dazzling,  that  no  mortal  is  able  to 
comprehend  it ;  but  should  any  one 
venture  to  look  on  it,  his  whole  frame 
would  be  dissolved.'  R,  Jehudah, 
Sepher  Cosri,  P.  4.  §  9.  In  such  in- 
conceiveable  splendor  is  the  divine  Ma- 
jesty revealed  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
celestial  world,  where  he  is  said  la 
'  dwell  in  the  light  which  no  man  can 
approach  unto'  —  an  intimation  which 
was  probably  suggested  to  the  mind  of 
Paul  by  the  very  incident  we  are  now 
considering.  That  Moses  had  previous- 
ly been  favored,  in  some  degree,  with 
the  vision  of  God's  face  in  the  bright 
cloud  of  the  Presence,  is  clear  from  v. 
11,  where  it  is  expressly  said  that  '  the 
Lord  spake  unto  Moses /ace  to  face,  as 
a  man  speaketh  unto  his  friend.'  But 
that  was  a  limited  degree  of  disclosure 
compared  with  that  which  he  now 
sought,  and  of  which  the  Most  High 
predicates  the  impossibility  of  grant- 
ing it.  The  implication  is  oljvious  that 
the  display  of  that  uncreated  splen- 
dor which  pertained  to  Christ  as  the 
'brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,'  would 
be  altogether  too  overpowering  for  a 
tenant  of  flesh,  and  could  be  accord- 
ed only  to  those  who  were  translated 
into  the  world  of  light.  At  the  scene 
of  the  Savior's  transfiguration  on  the 
mount,  some  measure  of  this  glory 
was  displayed,  but  even  then  we  have 
reason  to  believe  it  was  a  mitigated 
manifestation,  or  the  powers  of  life  in 
the  disciples  would  have  been  utterly 
extinguished.  It  is  only  in  a  future  stat«, 
when  this  mortal  shall  put  on  immor- 


240 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  14U1. 


will  put  thee  p  in  a  cleft  of  the  :    23  And  I  will  take   away  mine 
rock;  and  will  q  cover  thee  with  ;  hand,  and  thou  shalt  see  my  back 


my  hand  while  I  pass  by 

Pisai.  2.  21.     qPs.  91.1,4. 

tality,  that  the  desire  which  prompted 
Moses'  petition  can  be  gratified.  Then, 
if  his,  '  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is,' 
without  a  medium  and  without  a  cloud. 

TT  There  shall  no  man  see  me,  and 

live.  Or  perhaps  more  literallyj  '  there 
shall  no  man  see  me,  and  be  alive;'' 
this  vision  is  impossible  to  men  in 
their  present  state  of  existence ;  they 
must  first  pass  through  death,  or  be 
translated,  before  they  are  capable  of 
beholding  it.  This  sense  is  somewhat 
milder  than  the  common  one,  as  it  re- 
moves the  idea  o{  arbitrary  destructive- 
ness  from  the  expression,  and  substi- 
tutes that  of  intrinsic,  or  perhaps  we 
may  say,  physical  impossibility.  At 
the  same  time  it  is  unquestionable, 
that  it  was  the  received  opinion  among 
the  ancient  Israelites,  which  no  one  can 
show  to  have  been  false,  that  a  full 
view  of  the  divine  glory  would  at  once 
be  fatal  to  the  beholder.  Comp.  Gen. 
16.  13.  Judg.  6.  22,  23,  and  13.  22.  And 
it  is  somewhat  confirmatory  of  this  that 
when  the  Shekinah,  or  divine  glory, 
filled  the  tabernacle,  Ex.  40.  35,  Moses 
was  not  able  to  enter  into  it,  i.  e.  he  could 
not  make  the  attempt  with  safety  to  his 
life.  So  also  afterwards  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  temple,  2  Chron.  7.  1,  2,  it 
is  said,  'The  glory  of  the  Lord  filled 
the  house,  and  the  priests  could  not  en- 
ter into  the  house,  because  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  had  filled  the  Lord's  house.' 
The  diflSculty  in  both  cases  was  the 
same.  The  glory  was  too  splendid  for 
human  endurance.  God  must '  hold  back 
the  face  of  his  throne,'  if  he  would  spare 
the  visual  and  vital  powers  of  feeble 
worms.  Even  the  partial  display  that 
was  made  to  Paul  on  his  way  to  Da- 
mascus struck  him  with  a  blindness  of 
some  days  continuance.    But  in  heaven 


parts; 
seen. 


but  my  face  shall  rnot  be 


rver.  20.     John  1.  18. 


the  difficulty  is  removed.  It  is  the 
blessed  prerogative  of  the  tenants  of 
that  world  of  light,  that  they  are  pre- 
pared to  enjoy  what  is  prepared  to  be 
enjoyed.  Rev,  22, 4,  'His  servants  shall 
see  his  face. ^ 

21 — 23.  And  the  Lord  said,  Behold, 
there  is  a  place  by  me,  &c.  It  is  clear 
that  God  was  not  displeased  with  the 
petition  of  his  servant.  He  saw  that  it 
was  not  prompted  by  an  idle  curiosity 
or  a  vain  presumption,  but  from  a  fer- 
vent desire  to  enjoy  more  of  the  bright- 
ness of  his  presence.  He  was  willing, 
therefore,  to  comply  with  it  as  far  as 
would  be  either  safe  or  profitable  for 
him.  But  in  order  to  this  the  imbecility 
of  his  nature  required  that  certain 
precautions  should  be  adopted.  The 
splendor  of  a  full  display  of  his  glory 
would  be  wholly  insufferable,  and  means 
must  be  resorted  to  to  soften  and  miti- 
gate the  manifestation  so  that  his  feeble 
powers  would  be  able  to  bear  it.  Ac- 
cordingly he  informs  him  that  there  is 
a  rocky  recess  in  some  part  of  the 
mount  near  where  the  Cloud  was  abid- 
ing, into  which  he  should  enter,  and  after 
being  still  farther  overshadowed  by  the 
divine  hand,  (Arab.  '  I  will  overshadow 
thee  with  my  cloud')  should  be  per- 
mitted to  behold  a  transient  glimpse  of 
the  overpowering  brightness  of  Jeho- 
vah. But  even  this  was  not  to  be  a 
view  of  his  face.  The  interposing  me- 
dium was  to  screen  the  vision  from  his 
sight  till  it  had  passed  by,  and  then  he 
was  to  look  upon  it  and  behold  his  back 
parts,  as  one  might  behold  the  back  of 
a  royal  personage  as  he  moved  along 
in  majestic  state  in  front  of  his  train. 
Arab.  'I  will  then  take  away  my  cloud, 
that  thou  mayst  see  the  back  parts  of 
my  Angel,  for  his  face  is  not  to  be 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


241 


seen.'  The  language  of  Elihu  in  Job, 
ch.  36.  32,  is  peculiarly  applicable  to 
this  part  of  the  narrative  ;  'With  clouds 
ke  covereth  the  light,  and  conimandeth 
it  not  to  shine,  by  the  cloud  that  com- 
eth  betwixt.'  The  language  of  the  de- 
scription is  necessarily  borrowed  from 
human  things,  though  we  see  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  it  was  as  literally  correct 
as  the  nature  of  the  case  would  allow. 
Even  if  it  be  granted  that  Omnipotence 
could  so  have  softened  the  front  aspect 
of  the  glory  as  to  make  it  tolerable  to 
Moses'  eyes,  and  displayed  it  in  a  sta- 
tionary-form without  passing  by,  yet  no- 
thing could  be  more  expressive  than  the 
mode  adopted  to  convey  the  intimation, 
that  while  a  lower  degree  of  disclosure 
could  be  made  to  him,  a  higher  could 
not.  This  would  be  still  more  indubit- 
able from  the  effect  produced.  Partial 
and  moderated  as  the  revelation  was, 
yet  the  face  of  Moses  caught  a  super- 
natural lustre  from  the  glory  as  it  pass- 
ed, which  remained  with  him  when  he 
came  down  from  the  mount,  and  which 
was  so  overpowering  to  the  beholders 
that,  from  a  regard  to  their  weakness, 
he  veiled  himself  before  them.  If  then 
a  more  reflected  radiance  from  the 
countenance  of  Moses,  and  that  too 
coming  from  the  hinder  part  of  the  re- 
splendent phenonemon,  was  so  tran- 
scendantly  glorious,  what  must  have 
been  the  effect  of  the  unclouded  light 
of  Jehovah's  face !  Yet  let  us  repeat 
m  reference  to  this  whole  gracious 
manifestation,  that  the  glory  beheld 
was  unquestionably  the  glory  of  Christ. 
Nor  are  we  prepared  to  deny  that  a  re- 
splendent human  form,  preintimative 
of  the  Divine  Man,  Christ  Jesus,  was 
vaguely  presented  to  his  view.  At  any 
rate  we  would  have  the  following  pas- 
sage attentively  considered  in  this  con- 
nexion, Num.  12.  6 — 8,  'And  he  said, 
Hear  now  my  words:  If  there  be  a 
prophet  among  you,  I  the  Lord  will 
make  myself  known  unto  him  in  a 
▼ision,  and  will  speak  unto  him  in  a 
Vol.  II.  21 


dream.  My  servant  Moses  is  not  so, 
who  is  faithful  in  all  mine  house.  With 
him  will  I  speak  mouth  to  mouth,  even 
apparently,  and  not  in  dark  speeches ; 
and  the  similitude  of  the  Lord  shall  he 
behold:^  What  can  be  meant  by  Moses' 
beholding  '  the  similitude  of  the  Lord' 
but  his  being  favored  with  the  display 
here  recorded  ?  And  what  is  the  simil- 
itude of  the  Lord  but  he  who  is  the 
'  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and 
the  express  image  of  his  person.'  At 
the  same  time  it  was  not,  we  believe, 
a  view  of  Christ's  glory  in  his  state  of 
humiliation  and  suffering,  as  the  man 
of  sorrows,  that  was  accorded  to  Mo- 
ses, but  of  the  glory  of  his  post-resur- 
rection state  of  exaltation  and  honor, 
when  he  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven 
in  a  splendor  that  shall  darken  the  light 
of  the  sun.  For  a  somewhat  more  ade- 
quate view  of  this  state  we  must  have 
recourse  to  the  scene  of  the  Savior's 
transfiguration,  when  a  cloud  also  over- 
shadowed the  disciples,  as  it  doubtless 
did  Moses  ;  and  when  Moses  and  Elias 
were  present  in  glorified  forms,  prob- 
ably because  they  had  both  in  the  very 
same  place  been  favored  with  a  remark- 
able manifestation  of  the  Deity,  a  co- 
incidence by  the  way  that  has  general- 
ly been  overlooked,  but  about  which 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  As  to  Moses, 
the  present  narrative  is  sufficiently  ex- 
plicit, and  as  to  Elijah  we  are  told, 
1  Kings,  19.  8 — 11,  that  he  arose  and 
went  in  the  strength  of  his  supernatural 
supply  of  food  *  forty  days  and  forty 
nights  unto  Horeb,  the  mount  of  God. 
And  he  came  thither  unto  a  cave  and 
lodged  there.'  This  was  probably  the 
same  cave  into  which  Moses  was  made 
to  enter  on  the  present  occasion.  Eli-  . 
jah,  however,  was  commanded  to  go 
forth,  and  to  stand  upon  the  mount  be- 
fore the  Lord  ;  'And  behold,  the  Lord 
passed  by,^  as  he  had  done  in  the  case 
of  Moses,  though  in  a  different  mode  of 
manifestation.  Still  it  was  a  real  the- 
ophany  with  which  he  was  favored,  and 


iA2 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149 J. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

AND  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
aHew  thee  two  tables  of  stone 
like  unto  the  first :  ^  and  I  will 
write  upon  these  tables  the  words 
that  were  in  the  first  tables  which 
thou  brakest. 

2  And  be  ready  in  the  morning, 
and  come  up  in  the  morning  to 

ach.  32.  16,  19.    Deut.  10.  1.     b  ver.  28. 
Deut.  10.  2,  4. 

one  that  doubtless  had  a  prospective  re- 
ference to  Christ  ;  so  that  we  can  see 
sufficient  reason  from  these  historical 
facts  for  Moses  and  Elijah's  appearing 
at  the  scene  of  transfiguration.  It  was 
natural  that  they  should  be  associated 
with  that  display  of  the  Savior's  glory 
which  was  so  similar  to  what  they  had 
seen  in  the  days  of  their  flesh.  Add 
to  this  that  Elijah  was  translated,  and 
in  all  probability  assimilated  at  once, 
as  the  saints  will  hereafter  be,  to  this 
very  glory. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
1.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
Hew  thee,  &c.  Heb.  ^b  ^DC  pesal 
leka,  hew  for  thyself;  whereas  the 
former  tables,  both  as  to  matter  and 
form,  were  the  work  of  God  himself 
Ex.  32.  16.  The  English  word  '  hew' 
denotes  a  rougher  process  than  is  legit- 
imately implied  by  the  original,  which 
signifies  to  cut  with  a  graving  tool,  to 
chisel,  to  execute  a  piece  of  sculpture. 
The  divine  benignity  here  shows  itself 
ready  to  renew  the  covenant  which  Is- 
rael had  broken,  but  at  the  same  time 
gives  a  command  which  indicated  that 
favor  was  restored  with  some  abate- 
ment. God  would  not  allow  the  facility 
of  pardon  to  beget  a  presumptuous  lev- 
ity of  spirit  or  slight  apprehension  of 
the  evil  of  sin.  Some  memento  of 
punishment  therefore  adheres  to  the  re- 
newed expression  of  favor.  The  wound 
is  healed,  but  a  scar  remains.  The 
former  tables  were  throughout  of  divine 


Mount  Sinai,  and  present  thyself 
there  to  me  c  in  the  top  of  the 
mount. 

3  And  no  man  shall  <icome  up 
with  thee,  neither  let  any  man,  be 
seen  throughout  all  the  mount : 
neither  let  the  flocks  nor  herds  feed 
before  that  mount. 


21. 


c  chap.  19.  20.  &  24.  12.    d  ch.  19.  12,  13, 


workmanship,  both  the  material  and 
the  writing  ;  in  the  present,  the  writing 
only.  But  it  is  enough  if  the  writing  be 
his  ;  for  that  is  the  life  of  the  covenant. 
The  circumstance  affords  well  grounded 
comfort  if  we  are  touched  with  genuine 
compunction  after  having  proved  un- 
faithful to  our  Christian  vows.  God  is 
willing  to  renew  the  covenant,  if  we 
devoutly  desire  the  lavor  at  his  hands. 
He  is  still  virtually  saying,  '  I  will 
write  upon  those  (fleshly)  tables  (oi 
the  heart)  the  words  that  were  in  the 
first  tables  (in  the  state  of  innocency) 
which  thou  brakest  (in  the  fall  oi 
Adam).' 

2,  3.  Come  up  in  the  morning  unto 
mount  Sinai,  and  present  thyself  there 
to  me.  Heb.  dl)  i^  tliiT]  nitz-tzahta 
li  sham,  stand  for  me  there.  That  is, 
take  your  station  there  and  await  my 
coming  down,  as  appears  from  v.  5.  It 
would  seem  therefore  that  by  '  the  top 
of  the  mount'  is  not  meant  absolutely 
the  highest  summit,  but  some  elevated 
point  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  sum- 
mit. For  as  the  cloud  of  the  Shekinah 
usually  abode  on  the  apex  of  the  mount, 
and  yet  in  v. 5,  is  said  to  have  'descend- 
ed,' the  inference  is  inevitable  that  Mo- 
ses  was  to  station  himself  at  a  point 
somewhat  below  the  topmost  brow  of  the 
mountain.  Here  he  was  to  stand  alone, 
and  the  flocks  and  herds  were  forbidden 
to  approach  the  base  of  the  mount,  in  or- 
der that  the  law  might  be  a  second  time 
received  with  the  solemnity  and  sanctity 
which  marked  its  first  delivery.    The 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


243 


4  IT  And  he  hewed  two  tables  of 
stone,  like  unto  the  first ;  and  Mo- 
ses rose  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  went  up  unto  mount  Sinai,  as 
the  Lord  had  commanded  him, 
and  took  in  his  hand  the  two  ta- 
bles of  stone. 

5  And  the  Lord  descended  in  the 
cloud,  and  stood  with  him  there, 
and  e  proclaimed  the  name  of  the 
Lord. 

6  And  the  Lord  passed  by  before 
him,  and  proclaimed,  The  Lord, 
The  Lord  I'God,  merciful  and  gra- 

ech.  33.  19.  Numb.  14.  17.  f  Numb.  14. 
18.  2Chron.30.  9.  Neh.  9.  17.  Ps.  86.  15. 
&  103.  8.  &  111.  4.  &  112.  4.  &  116.  5.  &  145. 
8.   Joel  2.  13. 


whole  transaction  was  to  be  so  ordered 
as  to  impress  the  congregation  with  an 
awful  sense  of  the  holiness  of  Jehovah, 
and  of  their  own  unworthiness,  and  with 
a  deep  conviction  that  it  was  a  matter 
of  no  trifling  moment  thus  to  have  sub- 
jected the  Most  High  to  the  necessity 
of  deideronomising,  as  we  may  say, 
the  law  of  the  ten  commandments. 

4.  And  Moses  rose  up  early  in  the 
morning,  &c.  To  show  his  alacrity 
and  zeal  in -yielding  obedience  to  the 
divine  command.  *  The  morning  is, 
perhaps,  as  good  a  friend  to  the  graces 

as  it  is  to  the  muses.'  Henry. TT  And 

took  in  his  hand  the  two  tables  of  stone. 
Which  it  is  consequently  to  be  inferred 
were  thin  and  light  and  of  no  very  great 
dimensions.  This  is  also  to  be  inferred 
from  their  having  been  deposited  in  the 
ark,  which  was  three  feet  nine  inches 
in  length,  by  two  feet  three  inches  in 
breadth.  We  can  easily  conceive  w-hat 
an  impression  it  must  have  conveyed  to 
the  people  of  the  dignity  of  the  law  to 
see  these  smooth  and  empty  tables  re- 
turned  from  the  mount  re-inscribed  with 
the  ten  commandments,  when  they  well 
knew  that  no  graving-tool  or  other  in- 
strument was  there  to  be  found  with 
which  Moses  could  have  executed  the 
work.    They  would  of  course  refer  it 


cious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant 
in  g  goodness  and  h  truth, 

7  i  Keeping  mercy  for  thousands, 
k  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgres- 
sion and  sin,  and  i  that  will  by  no 
means  clear  the  guilty;  visiting 
the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon 
the  children,  and  upon  the  chil- 
dren's children,  unto  the  third  and 
to  the  fourth  generation. 


&PS.31.19.  Rom.  2.4.  h  Ps.  57.  10.  &  108. 
4.  i  ch.  20.  6.  Deut.  5.  10.  Ps.  86.  15.  Jer. 
32.18.  Dan.  9.  4.  kPs.  103.  3.  &  130.4. 
Dan.  9.  9.  Eph.  4.  32.  1  .lohn  1.  9.  1  ch. 
23.  7,  21.  Josh.  24.  19.  Job.  10.  14.  Mich. 
6.  11.     Nah.  1.3. 


at  once  not  to  the  act  of  man,  but  to  the 
finger  of  God ;  and  if  he  had  uritten 
it,  they  might  be  sure  that  he  would 
maintain  it. 

5.  And  the  Lord  descended  in  the  cloud. 
The  cloud's  descending  was  the  Lord's 
descending.  According  to  the  usage 
so  frequently  adverted  to  in  previous 
Notes,  the  title  of  Jehovah  is  applied 
to  the  symbol  by  which  he  was  repre- 
sented. Not  that  the  cloud  w^as  an 
arbitrary  and  empty  emblem  of  a  dis- 
tant God,  but  the  divine  presence  was 
most  intimately,  though  mysteriously, 
united  with  it,  so  that  for  all  designed 
purposes  it  was  God  manifest  to  the 
outward  senses — a  shadow  and  prein- 
timation  of  '  God  (subsequently)  mani- 
fest in  the  flesh.'  Arab.  'And  the  Angel 
of  God  appeared  in  the  clouds,  and  his 
Light  (or  Splendor)  stood  with  him 
there.'  The  Most  High  descended  in 
this  manner  in  fulfilment  of  his  promise 
before  made,  ch.  33.  19 — 23,  and  ac- 
cordingly proclaimed,  in  an  audible 
voice,  his  name,  that  is,  the  character 
and  perfections  denoted  by  his  name. 

6,  7.  And  the  Lord  passed  by,  &c. 
Chal.  'And  the  Lord  made  his  Shekinah 
to  pass  before  his  face,'  Arab.  'And 
when  the  Angel  of  God  passed  before 
him,'  &c.    The  Hebrew  writers,  there- 


244 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


fore,  comparing  this  passage  with  Ex. 
33.  19,  22,  say,  'The  Shekinah,  or  Di- 
vine  Majestj',  called  I,  passed  by ;' 
thus  denoting  that  they  regarded  the 
Shekinah  as  mysteriously  one  with  the 
Father.    But  what  was  the  import  of 

the  proclamation? IT  The  Lord,  the 

Lord  God,  gracious  and  merciful ,  &c. 
The  reader  who  may  chance  to  be 
familiar  with  the  Hebrew  will  at  once 
perceive  that  our  mode  of  interpunction 
in  this  passage  does  not  agree  with  that 
of  the  original.  The  proper  reading  is 
the  following,  'And  the  Lord  passed 
by  before  him  and  proclaimed  Jehovah, 
Jehovah:  God,  merciful  and  gracious,' 
&c.  The  august  title  '  Jehovah'  is  re- 
duplicated by  way  of  emphasis,  as  that 
pre-eminent  designation  which  w^as  de- 
signed to  come  home  to  the  soul  with 
the  utmost  fulness  of  awful  import.  To 
this  the  name  '  God'  (^5^  tl)  is  sub- 
joined, of  which  the  leading  idea  is  that 
of  strength,  might,  potency,  and  which 
in  this  connexion  would  naturally  con- 
vey the  idea  of  all-sufficient  protection 
to  all  his  people  and  of  formidahleness 
to  all  their  enemies.  'He  is  mighty  in 
strength;  who  hath  hardened  himself 
against  him,  and  prospered?'  This 
proclamation  of  his  name  as  almighty 
would  serve  as  a  very  suitable  preface 
to  the  announcement  of  his  moral  attri- 
butes just  about  to  follow  ;  for  it  be- 
comes us  to  think  and  to  speak  even  of 
his  grace  and  goodness  in  a  spirit  of 
holy  awe,  as  deeply  conscious  how 
fearful  and  terrible  is  that  Being  who 
wields  omnipotence.  His  mercies  are 
not  the  mercies  of  a  frail  feeble  creature 
like  ourselves,  but  of  a  God  of  infinite 
resources  ;  and  they  are  on  this  account 
unspeakably  endeared  to  the  subjects 
of  them.  'His  greatness  and  goodness 
illustrate  and  set  off  each  other.  That 
the  terror  of  his  greatness  may  not 
make  us  afraid,  we  are  told  how  g-ood 
he  is ;  and  that  we  may  not  presume 
upon  his  goodness,  we  are  told  how 
great  he  is.'     Henry. — The  attributes 


that  follow  require  to  be  considered  a 

little  more  in  detail. IT  Merciful 

Heb.  tiin'n  rahum.  The  import  of  the 
term  is  that  of  tenderly  kind,  pitiful, 
compassionate ,  whence  the  term  C^^rTl 
rahamim,  bowels  of  mercies  or  com- 
passions,  Gen.  43.  14.  This  is  that  per- 
fection of  Jehovah's  nature  with  which 
we,  as  sinners,  have  the  most  immedi- 
ate and  intimate  concern,  and  therefore 
it  very  properly  stands  first  in  this 
enumeration.  It  is  this  that  constitutes 
the  moving  spring  in  the  great  machine- 
ry of  benevolence,  which  is  to  be  seen 
in  the  scheme  of  redemption.  It  is  the 
disposition  which  prompts  to  the  pity 
and  relief  of  the  miserable  ;  which  ren- 
ders the  possessor  prepense  to  acts  of 
kindness  and  clemency,  like  those  of  a 
father  to  a  child,  wherever  the  objects 
of  them  are  found.  It  is  an  attribute 
of  the  Godhead  which  is  incessantly 
celebrated  by  the  inspired  writers.  The 
Psalmist,  whose  pious  songs  are  so 
instinct  with  the  praises  of  God,  says 
of  him  that  he  is  'plenteous  in  mercy, ^ 
speaks  again  and  again  of  the  '  mul- 
titude of  his  mercies,^  and  assures  us 
that  his  '  tender  mercies  are  over  all 
his  works.'  But  it  is  those  who  live 
under  the  gospel  who  see  its  brightest 
displays,  nor  was  it  possible  for  any  of 
the  Old  Testament  saints  to  speak  in 
such  eulogy  of  it  as  the  apostles  Peter 
and  Paul,  for  example,  in  the  citations 
which  follow  ;  1  Pet.  1.  3,  'Blessed  be 
the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  which,  according  to  his  abund- 
ant mercy,  hath  begotten  us  again  unto 
a  lively  hope  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,'  Eph.  2. 
4 — 7,  'But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy, 
for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved 
us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in  sins, 
hath  quickened  us  together  with  Christ ; 
(by  grace  ye  are  saved ;)  and  hath 
raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit 
together  in  heavenly  places,  in  Christ 
Jesus:  That  in  the  ages  to  come  he 
might    shew  the  exceeding   riches  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


246 


his  grace  in  his  kindness  towards  us, 

through  Christ  Jesus.' IT   Gracious. 

Heb.  y]2'n  hannun ;  from  the  root  "];)! 
hanan,  signifying  to  be  kindly  or  gra- 
ciously affectioned  towards  a  person. 
In  Scripture  usage  this  term  as  applied 
to  God  and  as  denoting  his  dispositions 
and  dealings  towards  men,  carries  with 
it  the  leading  import  of  unmerited  favor 
or  ki7idness.  'We  call  that  {13211  hani- 
nah,^  says  Maimonides,  '  which  we  be- 
slow  upon  any  man  to  whom  we  owe 
notliing.'  In  this  sense  does  God  be- 
stow grace  upon  the  sinning  children  of 
men.  He  is  rich  in  the  donation  of 
favors  to  which  they  have  no  claim. 
His  abounding  benignity  triumphs  over 
their  ill  desert,  and  causes  heaven  to  be 
peopled  with  those  who  were  justly  the 

heirs   of  hell. IT    Long   suffering. 

S"^^!*  ^"^54  erek  appim,  long  of  anger, 
or  more  literally,  long  of  nostrils,  from 
the  ideal  connexion  between  the  passion 
of  anger  and  its  effects  in  inflating  the 
nostrils.  This  '  long  suffering'  on  the 
part  of  God  is  the  first-fruit  of  his  mercy 
and  grace.  He  bears  long  with  sinners  ; 
he  delays  the  execution  of  justice;  he 
waits  to  be  gracious  in  despite  of  their 
iniquities.  Nothing  is  more  wonderful 
than  the  patience  of  God  when  we  con- 
sider the  provocations  which  he  con- 
tinually receives  at  the  hands  of  the 
ungodly.  How  long  did  he  bear  with 
the  antediluvian  world !  What  forbear- 
ance did  he  exercise  towards  the  mur- 
muring and  rebellious  Israelites  during 
their  sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  and  in- 
deed throughout  all  their  generations ! 
Nay,  to  bring  the  matter  home  to  our- 
selves, who  is  not  forced  to  acknowledge 
that  he  is  himself  a  monument  of  the 
same  long-suffering  and  tender  mercy? 
Have  we  not  provoked  him  to  anger 
every  day  of  our  lives  ?  Yet  to  the 
praise  of  his  patience  here  we  still  find 
ourselves,  standing  on  praying  ground, 
and  favored  with  the  offers  and  oppor- 
tunities of  pardon.  Ah,  how  different 
would  be  our  lot  had  he  dealt  with  us 
21* 


after  our  sins,  or  rewarded  us  accordiof 

to  our  iniquities  ! IT   Abundant  in 

goodness  and  truth.  Heb.  n^5<1  IDH  m 
rab  hesed  ve-emeth,  much  in  goodness, 
or  benignity,  and  truth.  The  idea  is 
that  o[  exuberant  benevolence.  So  rick, 
so  bounteous,  so  multitudinous,  are  the 
expressions  of  the  divine  favor,  that  we 
may  be  said  to  be  almost  overflown  with 
them.  And  not  only  so,  not  only  does 
his  goodness  abound  above  our  deserts 
and  above  our  powers  of  acknowledg- 
ment, but  being  a  God  of  truth,  who  will 
not  and  cannot  deceive,  we  are  assured 
that  every  promise  of  further  and  future 
good  will  be  strictly  fulfilled,  and  that 
nothing  will  prevent  the  realization  of 
those  eternal  blessings  which  he  has  re- 
served for  them  that  put  their  trust  in 
him!  'Faithful  is  he  who  hath  called  us, 
who  also  will  do  it.'  He  may  not  indeed 
in  all  cases  speedily  accomplish  his 
word.  His  ways  are  often  directly  con- 
trary to  those  of  reason,  and  a  long  time 
elapses,  and  many  difficulties  are  over- 
come, but  finally  his  truth  comes  with- 
out fail  to  a  triumphant  fulfilment. 

IT  Keeping  mercy  for  thousands.  Heb. 
IDfl  ^2!bD  notzlr  hesed.  The  original 
term  IDH  hesed,  mercy,  here  is  precisely 
the  same  with  that  which  in  the  preced- 
ing clause  is  rendered  'goodness.'  In  the 
former  passage,  therefcre,  reference  is 
had  to  the  plenitude  of  the  divine  mer- 
cy, in  the  present  to  its  perpetuity. 
Chal.  'Keeping  goodness  to  a  thousand 
generations.'  God  keeps  or  preserves 
mercy  by  continually  showing  it  in  all 
its  various  exercises  to  thousands  of  sin- 
ners in  all  ages  and  to  the  end  of  time. 
His  keeping  it  implies  that  it  is  inex- 
haustible ;  that  whatever  measures  of 
it  may  yet  have  been  dispensed,  an  in- 
finite sufllciency  still  remains  behind. 
He  keeps  it  notwithstanding  the  crying 
provocations  which  might  move  him  to 
cast  it  away.  He  reserves  it  for  his 
chosen  people  through  all  the  days  of 
their  unregeneracy  ;  he  keeps  it  for  his 
backsliding  Davids,   and  his  denying 


246 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  149], 


Peters,  against  the  time  in  which  they 
shall  penitently  exclaim,  '  I  have  sin- 
ned !'  Nay,  who  can  tell  but  he  may 
have  '  kept  mercy'  for  him  whose  eye 
is  now  perusing  these  pages — kept  it 
year  after  year  unto  the  present  hour? 
And  shall  he  not  accept  of  it?  But  let 
us  remember  that  although  this  mercy 
is  inexhaustible  for  those  that  shall 
come  after  us,  yet  for  each  of  us  in- 
dividually its  day  has  a  close.  If  we 
embrace  it  not  while  the  day  lasts,  the 
night  is  not  far  distant  when  its  door 

v/ill  be  shut  against  us  for  ever. 

IT  Forgiving  iniquity  and  transgres- 
sion and  si7i.  Heb.  ^lIj'D'l  "^iV  fc^IUD 
«15^t;m  nose  avon  vapesha  vehattaah, 
taking  or  bearing  away  (i.  e.  forgiving) 
iniquity,  trespass,  and  sin.  This  is 
the  climax  of  the  present  proclamation 
of  the  divine  perfections.  Pardoning 
mercy  is  specified,  not  only  because  it 
is  in  this  form  that  tlie  glory  of  this 
attribute  pre-eminently  shines,  but  be- 
cause it  is  pardoning  mercy  that  opens 
the  way  for  the  exercise  of  all  other 
mercy.  It  was  all  important  there- 
fore for  the  consolation  of  sinners,  that 
this  peculiar  asj)ect  of  the  divine  good- 
ness should  be  distinctly  displayed. 
Hence  we  find  the  terms  expressive  of 
the  sins  forgiven  so  remarkably  varied 
and  multiplied,  ^n  order  to  imply  that 
all  so7-ts  and  degrees  of  offences  come 
within  the  scope  of  its  benign  operation. 
In  order  then  that  our  hearts  may  be 
duly  afiected  by  this  declaration,  let  us 
refer  both  to  history  and  to  experi- 
ence for  a  confirmation  of  its  truth. 
See  in  the  sacred  records  what  multi- 
plied acts  and  what  aggravated  forms 
of  iniquity  tlie  divine  clemency  has  gra- 
ciously passed  by  !  What  sins  before 
conversion  !  what  sins  after  conversion  ! 
And  then  if  we  attempt,  each  for  him- 
self to  enumerate  his  own  transgres- 
sions, will  they  not  be  found  more  in 
number  than  the  sands  on  the  sea-shore, 
and  sufficient,  if  visited  according  to 
their  desert,  to  overwhelm  the  soul  at 


once  in  perdition  !  Yet  if  believers  in 
Christ  these  our  sins  are  all  ibrgiven ! 
How  many  iniquities  then  is  God  con- 
tinually pardoning  in  every  quarter  of 
the  globe  !  What  an  idea  does  it  give 
of  the  divine  indulgence  to  think  that 
his  remissions  keep  pace  with  our  pro- 
vocations ! IT  That  will  by  no  means 

clear  the  guilty.  Heb.  npj"'  i^'^  np!) 
nakkiih  lo  yenakkch,  that  clearing  will 
not  clear ;  i.  e.  acquit,  absolve,  hold 
guiltless.  This  is  a  clause  of  exceed- 
ingly difficult  interpretation,  as  will  be 
evident  from  the  diversity  of  ancient 
renderings,  which  we  give  before  at- 
tempting to  settle  the  genuine  sense. 
Chal.  *  Sparing  those  who  are  converted 
to  his  law,  and  not  justifying  those  who 
are  not  converted.'  Gr.  kui  ov  Kadapui 
Tov  £vo^^ov,  and  will  not  purify  the 
guilty.  Arab.  '  Who  justifies  and  is 
not  justified.'  Sam.  '  With  whom  the 
innocent  shall  not  be  innocent.'  Vulg. 
'And  no  person  is  innocent  by  or  of 
himself  before  thee,'  which  gives  a 
sound  theological  sense,  viz.,  that  no 
man  can  make  an  atonement  for  his 
own  sins,  or  purify  his  own  heart  ;  in- 
asmuch as  all  have  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God.  But  whether 
this  is  the  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed 
in  this  passage,  is  another  question. 
Jerus.  Targ.  '  He  will  not  clear  sinners 
in  the  day  of  the  great  judgment.'  Most 
of  these  versions  yield  substantially, 
though  not  very  explicitly,  the  sense 
of  ours;  and  yet  it  is  certain  that  the 
language  of  the  English  text  at  first 
blush  seems  to  stand  at  least  in  verbal 
contrariety  to  that  of  the  preceding  de- 
claration; for  how  can  it  be  said  that 
God  '  forgiveth  iniquity,  trangression, 
and  sin,'  if  at  the  same  time  '  he  will 
by  no  means  clear  the  guilty?'  If  it 
were  possible,  therefore,  on  legitimate 
grounds,  to  assign  to  the  words  a  sense 
which  should  more  nearly  accord  with 
the  drift  of  the  foregoing  expressions, 
it  would  seem  to  give  more  unity  of 
import  to  the  whole  address.    This  we 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


247 


think  may  be  very  easily  done  without 
doing  the  least  violence  to  the  text,  or 
slurring  over,  with  some  critics,  the  in- 
timation doubtless  intended  to  be  con- 
veyed, that  God  is  a  God  of  justice  as 
well  as  a,  God  of  mercy.  From  com- 
paring this  form  of  expression  with  the 
usus  loquendi  in  other  cases,  we  are 
satisfied  that  the  true  rendering  is, 
*  who  will  not  wholly,  entirely,  alto- 
gether clear ;'  i.e.  who,  although  mer- 
ciful and  gracious  in  his  dispositions, 
strongly  inclined  to  forgive,  and  actu- 
ally forgiving  in  countless  cases  and* 
abundant  measure,  is  yet  not  unmind- 
ful of  the  claims  of  justice.  He  will 
not  always  suffer  even  the  pardoned 
sinner  to  escape  with  entire  impunity. 
He  will  mingle  so  much  of  the  penal  in 
his  dealings  as  to  evince  that  his  clem- 
ency is  not  to  be  presumed  upon.  Ac- 
cordingly a  proof  of  this  would  be  seen 
in  his  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers 
upon  the  children  and  their  descendants 
unto  several  generations ;  for  this  clause 
is  to  be  taken  in  immediate  connexion 
with  what  goes  before,  and  as  a  kind  of 
complement  to  its  sense.  That  this  is 
philologically  the  true  import  of  the 
phrase  '  clearing  will  not  clear,'  the 
following  parallel  citations  v;^e  think 
will  put  beyond  question.  Is.  30.  19, 
'For  the  people  shall  dwell  at  Zion  in 
Jerusalem ;  thou  shalt  weep  no  more 
(niDDln  ii^  IjIH  hako  lo  thlbkah,  weep- 
ing thou  shalt  not  weep).''  The  mean- 
ing, according  to  Gesenius,  is,  not  that 
their  weeping  should  utterly  and  abso- 
lutely cease,  but  that  they  should  not 
incessantly  weep  ;  they  should  not  weep 
as  if  they  had  nothing  to  do  hut  to 
weep ;  though  weeping  had  hitherto 
been  prevailingly  their  lot,  yet  it  should 
not  always  continue  so.  They  should 
have  a  respite  and  remission  to  the  ef- 
fusion of  their  tears.  So  also  still  more 
pertinently,  Jer.  25.  29,  'For  lo,  I  begin 
to  bring  evil  on  the  city  which  is  called 
by  my  name,  and  should  ye  be  utterly 
unpunished  (Ipjtl  HpUri  hinnak'dh  tin- 


naku,  clearing  should  ye  be  cleared  ?)V 
That  is,  should  ye  be  entirely  and  alto- 
gether exempted  ?  Jer.  30. 1 1 , '  Though 
I  make  a  foil  end  of  all  nations  whither 
I  have  scattered  thee,  yet  will  I  not 
make  a  full  end  of  thee :  but  I  will  cor- 
rect thee  in  measure,  and  will  not  leave 
thee  altogether  unpunished  (55^  np3 
^p3!!i  nakk'eh  lo  anekkeka,  clearing  I 
will  not  clear  thee)  J  In  this  case  the 
parallelism  is  perfect.  If  the  version — 
'  will  not  leave  thee  altogether  unpun- 
ished'— is  correct  in  the  one  case,  why 
should  not  precisely  the  same  words — 
with  only  the  personal  variation — be 
rendered  in  the  present  passage, '  I  will 
not  utterly  or  altogether  acquit,  absolve, 
exempt  from  punishment?'  So  also 
Jer.  49.  12,  'Behold,  they  whose  judg- 
ment was  not  to  drink  of  the  cup,  have 
assuredly  drunken ;  and  art  thou  he  whjJ 
shall  go  altogether  unpunished  (HCtH 
npDn  np!]  hu  nakoh  tinnak'eh,  who  shall 
clearing  he  cleared  ?)  V  Where  the 
sense  given  in  our  translation  is  un- 
doubtedly correct.  On  the  whole,  there- 
fore, there  seems  no  room  to  question 
that  God  intended  in  these  words  to  in- 
timate, that  the  preceding  declaration  of 
a  readiness  to  forgive  all  manner  of 
transgression  was  not  to  be  understood 
in  so  absolute  and  unqualified  a  sense 
as  to  preclude  all  ideas  of  penal  justice. 
Though  prone  to  pardon,  yet  it  was  to 
be  known  that  he  could  and  would 
punish,  whenever  his  wisdom  saw  that 
the  occasion  required,  even  in  those 
cases  where,  on  the  whole,  his  mercy 
was  predominant.  Thus  in  the  case  of 
David,  while  his  great  sin  was  forgiven, 
and  matter  of  praise  and  thanksgiv- 
ing throughout  eternity  administered  to 
him,  yet  in  '  clearing  he  was  not  wholly 
cleared.'  A  series  of  chastisements  and 
afflictions  followed  him  to  his  dying 
day,  that  he  might  learn  how  bitter  and 
evil  a  thing  it  was  to  turn  away  from 
God  as  he  had  rashly  done.  And  so  in. 
multitudes  of  other  instances.  Let  us 
then  beware  that  we  do  not  lose  our- 


248 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


8  And  Moses  made  haste,  and 
"» bowed  his  head  toward  the  earth, 
and  worshipped. 

9  And  he  said.  If  now  I  have 
found  grace  in  thy  sight,  O  Lord, 
nlet  my  Lord,  I  pray   thee,   go 

inch.4.  31,     nch.  33.  15, 16. 

selves  and  endanger  our  souls  in  er- 
roneous and  unauthorized  views  of  the 
pardoning  mercy  of  the  Most  High, 
Though  inclined  to  forgive  and  to  blot 
out  the  multitudinous  transgressions  of 
his  sinful  creatures,  yet  he  would  never 
have  them  lose  sight  of  the  fact,  that 
no  one  can  absolutely  promise  himself 

impunity  in  doing  wrong. V  Visit- 

ing  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers.  An 
ample  exposition  of  the  drift  of  this 
language  has  already  been  given  in  the 
Note  on  Ex.  20.  5.  The  Chal.  supplies 
what  is  necessarily  to  be  understood  in 
this  connexion  3  'Visiting  the  iniquities 
of  the  fathers  upon  the  children,  and 
the  children's  children  of  the  wicked, 
to  the  third  and  fourth  generation.'  So 
also  the  Targ.  Jerus,  '  Remembering 
the  sins  of  the  wicked  fathers  upon  the 
rebellious  sons,  unto  the  third  gener- 
ation and  the  fourth  generation.' 

8,  9.  And  Moses  made  haste,  and 
bowed,  Sac.  No  doubt  the  effect  of  this 
overpowering  display  at  once  upon  the 
senses  and  the  soul  of  Moses  was  a 
kind  of  rapture,  vi^hich  while  it  left  him 
in  the  possession  of  his  reason,  still 
prompted  him  with  the  utmost  expe- 
dition suitably  to  acknowledge  and  im- 
prove the  amazing  manifestation  of  mer- 
cy now  vouchsafed  to  him.  He  not  only 
falls  down  in  prostrate  adoration  on  the 
earth,  but  seizes  the  encouraging  words 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Lord,  and  pleads 
them  as  a  fresh  argument  for  the  for- 
giveness of  Israel,  and  the  continuance 

of  his  presence  among  them. IT  O 

Lord,  let  my  Lord,  I  pray  thee,  go  among 

us.     Chal,  'Let  I  pray  thee,  the  She- 

kinah  of  the  Lord  go  among  us.'    Arab, 

Let  thine  Angel  walk  among  us.'    The 


among  us  (for  ©  it  is  a  stiff-necked 
people),  and  pardon  our  iniquity 
and  our  sin,  and  take  us  for  p  thine 
inheritance. 

0  ch.  33.  3,  P  Dent.  32.  9.  Ps.  28.  9.  &  33. 
12.  &  78.  62.  &  94.  14.  Jer.  10. 16.  Zech. 
2.  12. 

recent  discovery  made  to  him  of  what 
was  involved  in  the  symbol  redoubled 
his  anxiety  as  to  its  continuance  among 
them.  Hence  the  repetition  of  the  re- 
quest. It  should  be  remarked  that  in 
the  address  the  original  is  not  niH^ 
Yehovah,  but  '^^IS^  adonai,  which  is  a 
term  of  less  significant  but  perhaps  in 
this  relation  of  more  endearing  import, 
and  approaching  more  nearly  to  the 
sense  of  Master.  It  is  more  properly 
a  term  applicable  to  a  restricted  lord' 
ship,  founded  upon  a  peculiar  relation, 
subsisting  by  covenant  or  some  spe- 
cial mode  of  acquisition,  between  the 
ruler  £ind  the  ruled.  The  fact  that  Is- 
rael were  Jehovah's  '  inheritance' would 
make  him  their  '^'2li<  adonai,  while  the 
fact  that  they  were  his  creatures  would 
make  him  their  fT^n"'  Yehovah.  So  in 
the  New  Testament  phrase,  2  Pet.  2.  1, 
'  denying  the  Lord  that  bought  them,' 
the  original  is  Seairorris  despotes  instead 
of  Kvpios  kurios,  the  usual  word  for 
Lord  and  the  common  translation  of 
nltl'^  Yehovah;  implying  that  their  de- 
nial was  the  denial  of  a  federative  or 
rectoral  lord  and  governor,  who  had  ac- 
quired a  right,  growing  out  of  covenant 
or  pactional  relations,  to  their  homage 
and  loyalty.  They  had  professed,  by 
assuming  the  Christian  name,  to  belong 
to  the  number  of  those  whom  Christ 
had  bought,  possessed,  or  inherited,  and 
consequently  their  defection  was  a  trea- 
sonahle  outrage  upon  their  most  sacred 
obligations.  To  say  that  true  Chris- 
tians should  become  false  teachers  and 
bring  in  damnable  heresies  and  deny 
the  Lord  who  had  really  bought  them 
with  his  blood  and  endowed  them  with 
his  spirit,  and  thus  bring  swift  destruc- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


249 


10  HAnd    he    said,   Behold    ql 
make  a  covenant:  before  all  thy 

Eeople  I  will  ""do  marvels,  such  as 
ave    not   been  done   in  all   the 

qDeut.  5.  2.  &  29.  12,14.     r  Deut.  4.  32. 
2  Sam.  7.  23.  Ps.  77. 14.  &  78.  12.  &  147.  20. 

lion  upon  themselves,  seems  scarcely  a 
supposable  mode  of  speech.  But  it 
would  be  very  applicable  to  those  who 
were  only  professedly  Christians,  and 
proved  recreant  to  their  assumed  char- 
acter.  IT  Fur  it  is  a  stiff-necked  peo- 
ple. Heb.  J<"in  tl^5>  nffip  ^5  ^5  ki  am 
keshth  oreph  hu,  which  may  with  equal 
propriety  be  rendered,  'Though  this  be 
a  people  hard  of  neck.''  Notwithstanding 
they  have  proved  so  refractory  and  re- 
bellious, that  I  scarcely  know  how  to 
bespeak  thy  favor  for  them,  yet  pardon 
their  iniquity  and  forsake  them  not. 
Continue  to  vouchsafe  to  them  the 
tokens  of  thy  presence.'  See  on  Gen. 
8.  21.— —IT  Take  us  for  thine  inherit- 
ance. Heb.  I^tl^ro  nehaltanu,  inherit 
or  possess  thou  us.  Gr.  eanixcdn  cot,  we 
shall  he  to  thee,  i.  e.  thine.  Arab.  'Elect 
us.'  The  Targ.  Jon.,  which  is  followed 
by  Le  Clerc,  gives  a  causative  sense  to 
the  term,  'Make  us  to  inherit  the  land 
which  thou  didst  promise  to  our  fathers, 
that  thou  mayst  not  exchange  us  for 
another  people.'  The  common  render- 
ing, however,  is  more  simple,  and  such 
as  finds  an  echo  in  numerous  passages 
like  the  following;  Deut.  32.  9,  'The 
Lord's  portion  is  his  people  ;  Jacob  is 
the  lot  of  his  inheritance.''  Ps.  2S.  9, 
'Save  thy  people,  and  bless  thine  in- 
heritance.'' Ps.  33.  12,  'Blessed  is  the 
nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord ;  and  the 
people  whom  he  hath  chosen  for  his 
own  inheritance.'  Ps.  78.  62,  'He  gave 
his  people  over  also  unto  the  sword  ; 
and  was  wroth  with  his  inheritance.' 
The  favors  which  Moses  bespeaks  in 
this  verse  are  indeed  the  favors  which 
God  already  explicitly  promised  to 
grant,  and  yet  he  here  renews  his  sup- 
plication for  them  with  redoubled  earn- 


earih,  nor  in  any  nation :  and  all 
the  people  among  which  thou  art 
shall  see  the  work  of  the  Lord  : 
for  it  is  8  a  terrible  thing  that  I 
will  do  with  thee. 

sDeut.  10.  21.    Ps.  145.  6.    Isai.  64.  3. 


estness ;  thus  teaching  us  that  the  cer- 
tainty of  receiving  good  at  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  should  never  relax,  but  always 
quicken,  our  prayers  and  endeavors  to 
secure  it. 

10.  Behold  T  make  a  covenant,  &c. 
In  such  language  is  God  pleased  to  sig- 
nify his  acceptance  of  and  compliance 
with  the  prayer  of  Moses.  In  that 
prayer  he  had  virtually  pleaded  with 
God  the  verification  of  his  own  words 
respecting  his  own  attributes,  as  a  God 
forgiving  iniquity,  transgression,  and 
sin.  He  beseeches  him  to  remember 
and  perform  all  the  good  he  had  prom- 
ised to  the  chosen  race,  unworthy  as 
they  were,  and  instead  of  casting  them 
off,  to  confirm  them  as  his  own  inherit- 
ance, his  peculiar  treasure,  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  To  this  prayer 
the  Lord  not  only  lends  a  favoring  and 
consenting  ear,  but  in  order  to  give  him 
the  fullest  possible  assurance,  he  re- 
news his  promise  under  the  form  of  a 
covenant  engagement,  than  which  no- 
thing could  be  conceived  more  binding. 
Infinite  veracity  seems  disposed  to  pu*. 
itself  under  additional  obligations.  In 
deed  upon  an  attentive  view  of  the  whole* 
context  we  can  scarcely  consider  it  as 
any  thing  short  of  an  actual  and  formal 
renewal  of  the  covenant  which  the 
people  had  broken,  and  the  blessings 
of  which  they  had  forfeited  by  their 
late  transgression.  Although  the  word 
'  covenant'  is  repeatedly  used  by  the 
sacred  writers  in  the  sense  of  solemn 
promise,  purpose,  pledge,  stipulation, 
announced  by  one  party  only,  yet  here 
it  seems  to  imply  something  mutual, 
as  God  goes  on  to  state  in  the  first 
place  what  he  himself  engages  to  do, 
and  then  to  command  what  he  would 


250 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


11  t  Observe  thou  that  which  I 
command  thee  this  day:  Behold, 
"I  drive  out  before  thee  the  Amor- 
ite,  and  the  Canaanite,  and  the 
Hittite,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  the 
Hivite,  and  the  Jebusite. 

12  xTake  heed  to  thyself,  lest 
thou  make  a  covenant  with  the 
inhabitants  of  the  land  whither 
thou  goest,  lest  it  be  for  y  a  snare 
in  the  midst  of  thee : 

13  But  ye   shall   z  destroy   their 

t  Deut.  5.  32.  &  6.  3,  25.  &  12. 28,  32.  &  28. 
1.  uch.  33.  2.  xch.  23  32.  Deut.  7.  2. 
Judg.  2.  2.  y  ch,  23.  33.  ^  ch.  23.  24.  Deut. 
12.  3.    Judg.  2.  2. 

have  them,  on  their  part,  observe  ;  in 
which  he  repeats  in  fact  the  leading 
points  that  formed  the  conditions  of 
the  former  national  compact.  Compare 
chapters  twenty-three  and  twenty-four. 

IT  Before  all  thy  people  I  will  do 

marvels,  such  as  have  not  been  done. 
Heb.  ^i^l^'2  ^^^  ^i^L'ti  r-iit)3>:3  niphlaoth 
asher  la  nibreii,  marvellous  thin gf>  which 
have  not  been  created.  The  phrase- 
ology affords  another  instance  of  that 
peculiar  use  of  the  Hebrew  term  for 
create  which  we  have  so  fully  illus- 
trated in  our  Note  on  Gen.  1.1.  The 
allusion  is  doubtless  to  the  wonderful 
display  of  power  which  marked  the  in- 
troduction of  Israel  into  the  promised 
land,  and  their  subsequent  series  of 
conquests,  such  as  the  dividing  the 
waters  of  Jordan,  the  causing  the  walls 
of  Jericho  to  fall  down,  making  the  sun 
and  moon  to  stand  still,  &c.,  all  which 
would  amount  to  precisely  that  marvel- 
lous and  glorious  discrimination  for 
which  Moses  had  prayed,  Ex.  33.  16, 
where  the  original  verb  1!3^^&!3  niph- 
linu  is  from  the  same  root  with  DJii^&i: 
niphlaoth,  marvels,  in  the  passage  be- 
fore us. IT   All  the  people  among 

which  thou  art.  That  is,  all  thine  own 
people  ;  the  nation  of  Israel  in  contra- 
distinction from  the  heathen  races  round 
about. IT  It  is  a  terrible  thing  that  I 


altars,    break    their    images,   and 
a  cut  down  their  groves : 

14  For  thou  shalt  worship  b  no 
other  god:  for  the  Lord,  whose 
cname  is  Jealous,  is  a  <J jealous 
God: 

15  eLest  thou  make  a  covenant 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  land, 
and  they  f  go  a  whoring  after  their 
gods,  and  do  sacrifice  unto  their 
gods,  and  ojie  s  call  thee,  and  thou 
Ji  eat  of  his  sacrifice ; 

a  Deut.  7.  5.  &  12.  2.  Judg.  6.  25.  2  Kings 
18.  4.  (fc  23.  14.  2  Chron.  31.  1.  &  34.  3,  4 
bch.20.  3.  5.  c  So  Isai.  9.  6.  &  57.  15.  d  ch 
20.5.  ever.  12.  f  Deut.  31.  16.  Judg.  2. 17 
Jer.  3.  9.  Ezek.  6.  9.  &Numb.  25.  2.  1  Cor 
10.27.     hps.  ]06.  28.     1  Cor.  8.  4,  7,  10. 


will  do  with  thee.  Heb.  '^?^3)  immeka. 
That  is,  not  towards  thee,  but  in  thy 
sight,  in  thy  presence,  and,  as  it  were,  in 
conjunction  with  thee  ;  making  thee  not 
only  a  witness,  but  also  in  some  sense 
a  medium,  nn  instrumental  agent.  The 
words  seem  to  be  spoken  to  Moses  pci- 
sonully. 

II.  Observe  thou  thai  which  I  com- 
mand  thee  this  day.  What  follows 
from  this  verse  to  the  end  of  v.  26,  is 
to  be  considered  as  a  collection  of  the 
most  prominent  precepts,  forming  the 
conditions  of  the  covenant  on  the  part  o:' 
the  people.  But  before  reciting  them 
God  very  briefly  repeats  the  substance 
of  his  own  engagement,  as  a  motive  to 
stimulate  them  to  the  performance  of 
theirs,  to  wit,  that  he  would  drive  out 
before  them  the  devoted  nations,  and 
put  them  in  triumphant  possession  of 
the  promised  land.  As  if  he  should 
say,  'You  see  what  I  have  pledged  my- 
self to  do ;  now  let  me  see  that  you 
will  not  be  wanting  in  what  I  require 
of  you.' 

12—17.  Take  heed  to  thyself,  &c. 
The  grand  prohibition  which  God  saw 
to  be  most  needful  for  his  people  was 
that  against  idolatry  ;  and  this  accord- 
ingly occupies  the  series  of  verses  from 
the  12th  to  the  17th.  The  interdiction 
of  a  covenant  with  the  inhabitants  of 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTEU  XXXiy. 


251 


16  And  thou  take  of » their  daugh- 
ters unto  thy  sons,  and  then- daugh- 
ters kgo  a  whoring  after  their  gods, 

iDcut.7.  3.  1  Kings  II.  2.  Ezra  9.  2.  Nch. 
13.25.    l£i\umb.  25.  1,  2.     1  Kings  11.  4. 

the  land,  to  which  they  were  going,* 
was  but  the  planting  of  a  safeguard 
around  the  main  precept.  It  was 
scarcely  possible  that  they  should  form 
treaties  and  alliances  of  any  kind  with 
those  idolatrous  nations  without  being 
inveigled  into  a  participation  of  their 
sin.  Such  connexions  would  be  sure 
to  be  a  snare  to  them^  and  how  reason- 
able was  it  that  they  should  be  forbid- 
den to  make  peace  with  those  with 
whom  God  was  making  war  ?  So  far 
indeed  from  tolerating  these  abomina- 
tions, they  were  to  hold  themselves 
bound  utterly  to  destroy  all  their  al- 
tars, images,  and  groves,  and  as  far  as 
in  them  lay  to  efface  every  vestige  of 
their  foul  and  odious  worship.  For 
this  a  reason  full  of  awful  import  is 

given  ; TT  For  the  Lord,  whose  name 

is  Jealous,  is  a  jealous  God.  That  is, 
whose  nature  is  jealous ;  who  can  bear 
no  rival.  The  names  of  God  designate 
his  attributes.  This  is  mentioned  here 
with  peculiar  propriety.  The  covenant 
made  with  Israel  was  virtually  a  mar- 
riage-covenant, and  consequently  idol- 
atry was  adultery.  Every  approach  to 
this  sin,  therefore,  would  be  sure  to 
provoke  him  to  jealousy,  just  as  the  in- 
fidelity of  a  wife  stirs  up  the  same  pas- 
sion in  the  bosom  of  the  injured  hus- 
band. We  are  not  indeed  to  transfer  in 
our  minds  human  passions  to  the  bosom 
of  the  Deity ;  but  the  Scriptures,  as  we 
have  before  remarked,  are  constructed 
on  the  plan  of  ascribing  the  attributes  of 
humanity  to  God,  because  he  often  acts 
in  his  dealings  with  men  as  they  act 
when  under  the  influence  of  certain 
passions.  To  convey,  therefore,  an 
intelligible  idea,  the  passions  them- 
selves are  affirmed  of  God  when  his  con- 
duct resembles  the  effect  of  those  im- 


and  make  thy  sons  go  a  whoring 
after  their  gods. 

17  '  Thou    shalt  make   thee  no 
molten  gods. 

I  ch.  32.  8.    Lev.  19.  i. 


pulses  in  men.  'Jealousy,'  says  Solo- 
mon, Prov.  G.  34,  35,  '  is  the  rage  of  a 
man  ;  therefore  he  will  not  spare  in  the 
day  of  vengeance  ;  he  will  not  regard 
any  ransom,  neither  will  he  rest  con- 
tent though  thou  givest  many  gifts.' 
This  is  human  jealous5\  What  is  said 
of  divine?  Deut.  32.  21—23,  'They 
have  moved  me  to  jealousy  ;  and  a  fire 
is  kindled  in  mine  anger,  and  it  shall 
burn  to  the  lowest  hell,  and  shall  con- 
sume the  earth  with  her  increase,  and 
set  on  fire  the  foundations  of  the  moun- 
tains. I  will  heap  mischiefs  upon  them, 
and  will  spend  mine  arrows  upon  them.' 

Compare  Nahum.  1.  2. IT  And  one 

call  thee,  and  thou  eat  of  his  sacrifice. 
This  the  apostle  informs  us,  1  Cor.  10. 
20,21,  was  equivalent  in  the  sight  of 
God  to  one's  professing  himself  to  be  of 
the  idolatrous  communion  which  feast- 
ed upon  the  sacrifices  of  their  demon- 
gods.  The  reason  of  this  is  obvious. 
When  the  covenant  people  feasted  up- 
on a  sacrifice,  the  meat  was  supposed 
to  be  God's,  and  to  be  set  upon  his  ta- 
ble. The  feasters  were  accordingly 
considered  as  his  guests,  entertained  at 
his  table  in  token  of  reconciliation  and 
friendship.  This  act  confirmed  in  the 
strongest  possible  manner  the  covenant 
relation  supposed  to  exist  between  the 
parties.  Consequently,  all  those  who 
ate  of  the  sacrifices  offered  to  other 
gods,  virtually  professed  themselves 
thereby  to  be  the  worshippers  and  ser- 
vants of  such  false  deities,  which  they 
could  not  be  without  renouncing  the 
worship  and  service  of  the  true  God. 
See  Note  on  Ex.  27.  4,  5.  The  sub- 
sequent history,  Num.  25.  1 — 3,  shows 
but  too  clearly  how  intimate  i§  the  con- 
nexion between  the  sins  here  mention* 
ed,  and  how  needful,  though  unavail- 


252 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


18  H  The  feast  of  m  unleavened 
bread  slialt  thou  keep.  Seven  days 
shalt  thou  eat  unleavened  bread, 
as  I  commanded  thee,  in  the  time 
of  the  month  Abib:  for  in  the 
n month  Abib  thou  camest  out 
from  Egypt. 

19  o  All  that  openeth  the  matrix 
is  mine :  and  every  firstling  among 
thy  cattle,  whether  ox  or  sheep, 
that  is  male. 

m  ch.  12.  15.  &  23.  15.  n  ch.  13.  4.  o  cb. 
13.  2,  12.  &  22.  29.  Ezek.  44.  30.  Luke 
2.  23. 


ing,  was  the  caution  now  administered  5 
'And  Israel  abode  in  Shittim;  and  the 
people  began  to  commit  whoredom 
with  the  daughters  of  Moab.  And  they 
called  the  people  unto  the  sacrifices  of 
their  gods:  and  the  people  did  eat,  and 
bowed  down  to  their  gods.  And  Israel 
joined  himself  unto  Baal-peor :  and  the 
anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against 
Israel.'  Compare  also  the  melancholy 
case  of  Solomon,  1  Kings,  11.  1 — 10. 

18.  The  feast  of  unleavened  bread 
shalt  thou  keep.  See  Notes  on  Ex.  12. 
15,  16.— 13.  6,  7.-23.  15.  The  follow- 
ing  precepts,  which  have  been  for  the 
most  part  explained  in  the  Notes  on  ch. 
23.  1 — 17,  relate  to  such  points  of  their 
religion  as  were  peculiar  to  it,  and  such 
as  they  would  be  most  apt  to  neglect ; 
not  such  as  in  themselves  and  morally 
considered  were  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance. 

19.  All  that  openeth  the  matrix,  &c. 
See  Notes  on  Ex.  13.  2,  12.-22.  29. 

20.  The  firstling  of  an  ass  thou  shalt 
redeem  with  a  lamb.  That  is,  with  a 
living  lamb,  either  of  the  sheep  or  goat, 
which  was  to  be  given  to  the  priest, 
Num.  18.  15.  Comp.  Ex.  13.  13.  On 
this  precept  the  Hebrew  writers  say, 
'  It  might  be  redeemed  with  a  lamb, 
whether  male  or  female,  unblemished 
or  blemished,  small  or  great.  If  a  man 
have  no  lamb  to  redeem  it  with,  he  may 
redeem  it  with  the  value  of  it,  and  give 


20  But  p  the  firstling  of  an  ass 
thou  shalt  redeem  with  a  lamb: 
and  if  thou  redeem  him  not,  then 
shalt  thou  break  his  neck.  All  the 
first-bom  of  thy  sons  thou  shalt  re- 
deem. And  none  shall  appear  be- 
fore me  q  empty. 

21  l[rSix  days  thou  shalt  work, 
but  on  the  seventh  day  thou  shalt 
rest :  in  earing-time  and  in  harvest 
thou  shalt  rest. 

Pch.l3.  13.  Numb  18.  15.  q  ch.  23.  15. 
Deut  lb.  16.  ]  Sam.  9.  7,  8.  2  Sam.  24.  24. 
rch.  20  9.  &  23.  12.  &  35.  2.  Deut.  5.  12, 13. 
Luke  13.  14. 

the  price  to  the  priest.  The  law  com- 
mandeth  not  a  lamb  to  make  it  heavier 
upon  him,  but  lighter  For  if  he  have 
the  firstling  of  an  ass  which  is  worth 
ten  shekels,  he  may  redeem  it  with  a 
lamb  worth  a  quarter  of  a  shekel.' 
Ainsworth. 

21.  In  earing-time  and  in  harvest 
shalt  thou  rest.  That  is,  in  the  busi- 
est seasons  of  the  year,  the  seasons 
of  ploughing  and  sowing  and  harvest- 
ing. They  were  not  to  consider  the 
urgency  of  business  as  affording  a  suf- 
ficient excuse  for  neglecting  the  re- 
ligious observance  of  the  day.  'This 
commandment  is  worthy  of  especial 
note.  Many  break  the  Sabbath  on  the 
pretence  of  absolute  necessity,  because, 
if  in  harvest  time,  the  weather  hap- 
pens to  be  what  is  called  bad,  and  the 
Sabbath  day  be  fair  and  fine,  they 
judge  it  perfectly  lawful  to  employ  that 
day  in  endeavoring  to  save  the  fruits  of 
the  field,  and  think  that  the  goodness 
of  the  day  is  an  indication  from  prov- 
idence that  it  should  be  thus  employed. 
But  is  not  the  command  above  pointed 
directly  against  this?  I  have  known 
this  law  often  broken  on  this  pretence, 
and  have  never  been  able  to  discover  a 
single  instance,  where  the  persons  who 
acted  thus  succeeded  one  whit  better 
than  their  more  conscientious  neigh- 
bors, who  availed  themselves  of  no  such 
favorable  circumstanpes,  being  deter- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


253 


22  1[  9  And  thou  shalt  observe 
the  feast  of  weeks,  of  the  first- 
fruits  of  wheat-harvest,  and  the 
feast  of  mgathering  at  the  year's 
end. 

23  %  t  Thrice  in  the  year  shall  all 
your  men-children  appear  before 
the  Lord  God,  the  God  of  Israel. 

*ch.  23.  16.  Deut.  16.  10,  13,  t  ch.  23.  14, 
17.     Deut.  16. 16. 

mined  to  keep  God's  law  even  to  the 
prejudice  of  their  secular  interests  ;  but 
no  man  ever  yet  suffered  loss  by  a  con- 
scientious attachment  to  his  duty  to 
God.  He  who  is  willing  and  obedient 
shall  eat  the  good  of  the  land  ;  and  God 
will  ever  distinguish  those  in  his  provi- 
dence, who  respect  his  commandments.' 
A.  Clarke. 

22.  Thou  shalt  observe  the  feast  of 
weeks.  Heb.  ^^  niz;5>n  nS^nUJ  3n  hag 
shabuoth  taaseh  leka,  the  feast  of  sev- 
ens shalt  thou  do  unto  thee.  That  is, 
keep  and  celebrate  by  appropriate  do- 
ings. So  the  Gr.  -rroiriatis  jxoi^  thou  shalt 
do  or  make  to  me.  See  the  phraseology 
amply  illustrated  in  the  Note  on  Ex. 
31.  16.  This  'feast  of  weeks'  was  a 
feast  to  be  observed  seven  weeks  after 
the  passover.  called  otherwise  the  'feast 
of  Pentecost,'  Lev.  23.  15,  16.  Acts,  2. 
1.  It  was  held  at  the  same  time  with 
Iheieast  of  the  first-fruits  of  the  wheat- 
harvest. IT  At  the  yearns  end.    Heb. 

riDTUn  Ti^lpri  tekuphath  hashshanah, 
at  the  circumvolution  J  or  circuit,  of 
the  year;  i.  e.  at  its  return;  which  was 
in  the  seventh  month,  corresponding 
with  our  September.  The  phraseology 
is  illustrated  by  a  comparison  of  the 
two  following  passages  relative  to  the 
invasion  of  Israel  by  Benhadad,  king 
of  Syria.  2  Chron.  24. 23,  'And  it  came 
to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  year  (DSlpriJ 
JlD^'n  lithkuphath  hashshanah),  that 
the  host  of  Syria  came  up,  &c.'  1  Kings, 
20.  26.  'And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  re- 
turn of  the  year  (HD^n  nnTiiJn^  lith- 
thubath  hashshanah,  at  the  turning  of 

Vot.  II.  22 


24  For  I  will  u  cast  out  the  na- 
tions before  thee,  and  *  enlarge  thy 
borders:  y  neither  shall  any  man 
desire  thy  land,  when  thou  shalt 
go  up  to  appear  before  the  Lord 
thy  God  thrice  in  the  year. 

nch.  33.  2.  Lev.  18.  24.  Deut.  7.  1.  Ps.78 
55.  &  80.  8.  X  Deut.  12.  20.  &  19.  9,  8.  y  See 
Gen.  35,  5.  2  Chron.  17.  10.  Prov.  16.7. 
Acts  18.  10. 

the  year),  that  Benhadad  numbered  the 
Syrians,  and  went  up  to  Aphek,  to  fight 
against  Israel.' 

23,  24.  Thrice  in  the  year  shall  all 
your  men-children,  &c.  See  Note  on 
Ex.23.  14,  17.  Deut.  16.  16.  Scarcely 
any  feature  of  the  religion  of  Israel  was 
more  remarkable  than  this,  or  more  sig- 
nally declarative  of  a  particular  provi- 
dence watching  over  the  covenant  race. 
To  the  eye  of  reason  it  would  no  doubt 
seem  that  the  observance  of  this  ordin- 
ance would  expose  them  to  the  incur- 
sions of  the  surrounding  nations,  who 
would  be  sure  to  take  advantage  of  their 
absence,  and  rob  or  capture  the  countrJ^ 
To  human  reason  too  it  might  appear 
to  have  been  sufficiently  perilous  to  be 
cruel,  to  leave  the  women,  the  children, 
the  aged,  and  the  sick,  in  such  a  de- 
fenceless state.  Would  it  not  have 
been  better,  it  might  be  asked,  that 
certain  delegates  should  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  repair  to  the  place  of  wor- 
ship in  the  name  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
people  ?  But  God  would  not  be  served 
by  proxy.  He  commanded,  therefore, 
all  the  males  to  keep  the  feasts  at  the 
place  prescribed ;  and  to  remove  all 
apprehensions  as  to  the  safety  of  their 
property  or  their  families,  he  pledged 
himself  to  protect  their  frontier  and  so 
to  overrule  the  minds  of  their  enemies, 
that  they  should  not  even  '  desire' 
to  invade  their  land  at  any  of  those 
seasons.  Accordingly  we  look  in  vain 
throughout  the  whole  course  of  their 
subsequent  history  for  an  instance  of 
foreign  aggression  made  under  these 


254 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


25  zThou  shalt  not  offer  the 
blood  of  my  sacrifice  v/ith  leaven, 
a  neither  shall  the  sacrifice  of  the 
feast  of  the  passover  be  left  until 
the  morning. 

26  b  The  first  of  the  first-fruits 
of  thy  land  thou  shalt  bring  unto 
the  house  of  the  Lord  thy  God. 

zch.  23.  18.  ach.  12,10.  b  di.  23.  19. 
Deut.  26.  2,  10. 

circumstances.  The  way  of  duty  is  the 
way  of  safety. 

25,  26.  Thou  shalt  not  offer  the  blood, 
&c.  See  Note  on  Ex.  23.  IS.— 12.  10.— 
23.  19.    Deut.  26.  2. 

27.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
Write  thou  these  words,  &c.  There  is 
some  difficulty  attending  the  exposition 
of  this  command  to  Moses  respecting 
the  writing  the  words  of  the  covenant. 
It  is  clear  from  v.  1,  of  this  chapter 
that  God  promised  to  write  ivith  his 
own  hand  the  ten  commandments  on 
the  tables  prepared  by  Moses.  The 
execution  of  this  promise  we  conceive 
is  expressly  recorded  in  v.  28,  'And  he 
(i.  e.  God)  wrote  upon  the  tables  the 
words  of  the  covenant,  the  ten  command- 
ments.' The  parallel  narrative,  Deut. 
10.  1 — 4,  puts  this  beyond  question, 
'At  that  time  the  Lord  said  unto  me, 
Hew  thee  two  tables  of  stone  like  unto 
the  first,  and  come  up  unto  me  into  the 
mount,  and  make  thee  an  ark  of  wood. 
And  I  will  write  on  the  tables  the  words 
that  were  in  the  first  tables  which  thou 
brakest,  and  thou  shalt  put  them  in  the 
ark.  And  I  made  an  ark  of  shittim 
wood,  and  hewed  two  tables  of  stone 
like  unto  the  first,  and  went  up  into  the 
mount,  having  the  two  tables  in  my 
hand.  And  he  wrote  on  the  tables,  ac- 
cording to  the  first  writing  the  ten  com- 
mandments,  which  the  Lord  spake  unto 
you  in  themount,  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
fire,  in  the  day  of  the  assembly :  and 
the  Lord  gave  them  unto  me.'  What 
then  were  the  words  which  Moses 
wrote  ^     Certainly    that    summary  of 


cThou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in 
his  mother's  milk. 

27  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Mo- 
ses, Write  thou  <^ these  words:  for 
after  the  tenor  of  these  words  I 
have  made  a  covenant  with  thee, 
and  with  Israel. 


cch.  23.  19.  Deut.  14.21.  d  ver.  10.  Deut 
4.  13.  ct  31.  9. 


judicial  and  ceremonial  precepts  com- 
prised in  the  verses  immediately  pre- 
ceding from  v.  11  til  to  v.  26th,  which 
were  an  appendage  to  the  moral  law, 
and  which  formed,  in  all  their  details, 
the  conditions  of  the  national  covenant 
on  the  part  of  the  nation.  But  did  Mo- 
ses write  them  on  the  present  occasion? 
This  we  think  may  justly  be  question- 
ed. By  recurrence  to  chap.  24.  3 — 8, 
we  learn  that  when  Moses  came  down 
from  the  mount  he  wrote  out  in  a  book 
the  collection  of  laws  and  precepts,  ad- 
ditional to  the  Decalogue,  which  form 
the  contents  of  chapters  21,  22.  and  23, 
and  which  include  every  one  of  the 
items  recited  in  the  present  context. 
Now  these  laws  were  not  inscribed  on 
the  tables  which  were  broken  ;  conse- 
qwenty  there  was  no  occasion,  on  this 
score,  for  their  being  re-written  ;  and  if 
the  book  already  written  were  preserv- 
ed, was  there  any  occasion  for  another 
copy  of  the  precepts  being  made  at 
all  at  this  time?  It  is  indeed  possi- 
ble that  the  short  compend  here  recited 
may  have  been  transcribed  in  pursuance 
of  a  direction  now  given  to  that  efl'ect, 
but  on  the  whole  we  prefer  to  consider 
the  verse  as  more  correctly  rendered 
in  the  pluperfect — 'And  the  Lord  had 
said  unto  Moses,  Write  thou  these 
words,'  &c.  This  refers  the  writing 
back  to  the  occasion  just  mentioned,  of 
which  it  is  said,  'And  Moses  came  and 
told  the  people  all  the  words  of  the 
Lord,  and  all  the  judgments :  and  all 
the  people  answered  v.'ith  one  voice, 
and  said,  All  the  words  which  the  Lord 


t.    x'*oI.J 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


255 


28  eAnd  he  was  there  with  the  I  water.  And  fhe  wrote  upon  the 
Lord  forty  days  and  forty  nights  ;  tables  the  words  of  the  covenant, 
he  did  neither  eat  bread  nor  drink    the  ten  commandments. 


ech.  24.  IS.    Deut.  9.  9,  18. 


hath  said  will  we  do.  And  Moses 
wrote  all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  and 
rose  up  earl)'  in  the  morning,  and  biiild- 
ed  an  altar  under  the  hill,  and  twelve 
pillars  according  to  the  twelve  tribes  of 
israel.  And  he  took  the  book  of  the 
covenant,  and  read  in  the  audience  of 
the  people  ;  and  they  said,  All  that  the 
Lord  hath  said  will  we  do,  and  be 
obedient.  And  Moses  took  the  blood, 
and  sprinkled  it  on  the  people,  and 
said,  Behold  the  blood  of  the  covenant, 
which  the  Lord  hath  made  with  you 
concerning  all  these  words.'  This  con- 
struction removes,  as  far  as  we  can  per- 
ceive, all  appearance  of  discrepancy 
between  the  different  parts  of  the  nar- 
rative. Having  repeated  the  leading 
specifications  of  the  compact  formerly 
entered  into,  it  was  natural  to  advert  to 
the  fact,  that  Moses  had  been  required 
to  write  ihem  down  at  the  time  they 
were  first  delivered  and  formally  ac- 
cepted and  ratified.  If,  however,  it 
should  still  be  thought  probable  that 
some  kind  of  writing  was  noiv  enjoined 
upon  Moses,  we  are  by  no  means  dis- 
posed to  join  issue  with  such  a  con- 
clusion. It  is  no  doubt  very  suppos- 
able,  that  as  they  had  in  their  recent 
transgression  broken  both  the  table-sta- 
tutes and  the  bnok-statvtes — the  moral 
and  the  ceremonial  part  of  the  covenant 
— God  may  have  seen  fit,  that  the  re- 
newal of  both  these  departments  of  the 
covenant  should  be  marked  by  a  similar 
proceeding.  As  he  himself  was  pleased 
to  restore  by  re-inscribing  the  Deca- 
logue, so  Moses  may  have  been  order- 
ed to  re-write  on  parchment  the  prom- 
inent points  of  the  ceremonial  law,  as 
a  token  that  both  were  again  in  force 
in  their  covenant  relations. 
28.  And  he  was  there  ivith  the  Lord 


fver,  1.    eh.  31.  IS.  &  32.  16.  Deut.  4.  13. 
&  10.  2,-  4. 


forty  days  and  forty  nights.  Being  of 
course  miraculously  sustained  by  the 
power  of  God  without  food  or  drink,  as 
in  the  former  case,  ch.  24.  IS.  'It  was 
not  long  since  Moses'  former  fast  of 
forty  days.  When  he  then  came  dovra 
from  the  hill  his  first  question  was  not 
for  meat ;  and  now  going  up  again  to 
Sinai,  he  takes  not  any  repast  with  him. 
There  is  no  life  to  that  of  faith.  'Man 
lives  not  by  bread  only.'  The  vision 
of  God  did  not  only  satiate,  but  feast 
him.  What  a  blessed  satiety  shall  there 
be  when  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is, 
and  he  shall  be  all  in  all  to  us ;  since 
this  very  frail  mortality  of  Moses  was 
sustained  and  comforted  but  with  rep- 
resentations of  his  presence  !  I  see 
Moses,  the  receiver  of  the  law,  Elias, 
the  restorer  of  the  law,  Christ,  the  ful- 
fiUer  of  the  old  law,  and  author  of  the 
new,  all  fasting  forty  days  ;  and  these 
three  great  fasters  I  find  together  glori- 
ous in  mount  Tabor.  Abstinence  merits 
not,  but  it  prepares  for  good  duties. 
Hence  solemn  prayer  takes  ever  fast- 
ing to  attend  it,  and  so  much  the  rather 
speeds  in  heaven  when  it  is  so  accom- 
panied. It  is  good  so  to  diet  the  body, 
that  the  soul  may  be  fattened.'  Bp. 
Hall.  In  Deut.  9.  18,  this  second  so- 
journ is  thus  alluded  to ;  'And  I  fell 
down  before  the  Lord,  as  at  the  first, 
forty  days  and  forty  nights :  I  did 
neither  eat  bread,  nor  drink  water,  be- 
cause  of  all  your  sins  which  ye  sinned, 
in  doing  wickedly  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  to  provoke  him  to  anger.'  If  v/e 
enquire  into  the  design  of  this  second 
forty  days'  Mdthdrawment  and  seclu- 
sion, the  passage  now  cited  seems  to 
disclose  one  at  least  of  the  grand  ends 
which  were  to  be  answered  by  it ;  viz., 
to  convey  to  the  people  a  deeper  iiji* 


256 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


pression  of  the  guilt  of  their  recent  ini- 
quitous proceedings.  What  must  they 
think  of  the  heinousness  of  their  con- 
duct when  a  period  of  forty  days'  earn- 
est intercession,  on  the  part  of  Moses, 
accompanied  by  fasting  and  prayer, 
was  none  too  much  in  which  to  depre- 
cate the  deserved  vengeance  of  heaven? 
Could  they  ever  after  venture  to  deem 
sin  a  light  matter?  Could  they  delude 
themselves  with  the  idea  that  God  was 
very  easily  pacified  in  view  of  a  high- 
handed transgression?  Alas,  how  little 
aware  are  most  men  of  the  aggravated 
nature  of  sins  committed  against  coven- 
ant vows  and  engagements  !  It  is  on- 
ly those  who  live  very  near  to  the  light 
of  the  throne,  and  gaze  like  Moses  upon 
the  burning  brightness  of  the  divine 
purity  that  can  appreciate  it  aright ! 
They  see  the  awful  turpitude  of  rebel- 
lion against  God,  and  how  difficult  it  is 
to  recover  the  lost  tokens  of  his  favor. 
This  lesson  was  now  to  be  taught  to 
the  sinning  congregation,  and  nothing 
would  do  it  more  effectually  than  this 
long  period  of  fasting  and  prayer.  Again, 
the  same  honor  was  to  be  secured  for 
the  second  tables  as  for  the  first,  and 
though  the  thunders  and  lightnings  that 
marked  the  first  delivery  of  the  law 
were  not  repeated,  yet  the  forty  days' 
fasting  of  Moses  was,  and  the  tables 
were  to  be  brought  forth,  in  that  re- 
spect, '  as  at  the  first.'  All  the  cir- 
cumstances, in  fine,  were  to  be  so  or- 
dered that  the  deepest  moral  impression 
should  be  produced  upon  the  general 
mind  of  the  people. 

The  remarks  of  Calvin  upon  this 
passage  are  well  worthy  of  being  ap- 
pended in  the  present  connexion.  'Mo- 
ses was  exempted  from  the  common  lot 
of  men  that  he  might  usher  in  a  law 
evidently  from  heaven.  Had  he  been 
detained  but  a  few  days  upon  the  mount, 
his  authority  would  not  have  been  sanc- 
tioned by  so  illustrious  a  miracle.  The 
forty  days,  therefore,  thus  spent  gave  a 
full  attestation  to  his  commission  as  a 


divine  legate ;  for  the  endurance  of  so 
long  a  fast  evidently  exceeded  the  pow- 
ers of  human  nature.  In  order  that  the 
majesty  of  the  law  might  be  unques- 
tioned, its  minister  was  distinguished 
by  an  angelical  glory.  He  expressly 
asserts  of  himself  that  he  neither  drank 
water  nor  tasted  of  bread,  that  by  be- 
ing thus  distinguished  from  ordinary 
mortals  his  official  dignity  might  be 
superior  to  exception.  We  are  to  un- 
derstand the  fast,  therefore,  here  men- 
tioned not  as  one  of  mere  temperance 
or  sobriety,  but  of  singular  privilege,  in 
which  a  temporary  immunity  from  the 
infirmity  of  the  flesh  was  granted, 
that  his  condition  might  be  shown  to 
be  super-human.  He  was  unconscious 
of  thirst,  nor  did  he  struggle  any  more 
with  the  appetite  for  food  than  one  of 
the  angels.  Therefore  this  abstinence 
was  never  drawn  into  a  precedent  by 
any  of  the  prophets,  nor  did  any  one 
think  of  imitating  what  all  knew  was 
not  intended  for  themselves.  I  except 
the  case  of  Elijah,  who  was  sent  to  re- 
new the  law  which  had  almost  perished 
from  Israel,  and  who,  as  a  second  Mo- 
ses, abstained  from  food  and  drink  for 

forty  days.' IT  And  he  wrote  upon 

the  tables,  &c.  That  is,  God  Avrote,  as 
is  evident  from  the  proof  adduced  under 
the  foregoing  remarks,  v.  27.  ^Moses 
heard,  and  God  wrote.  Our  true  Moses 
repairs  that  law  of  God  which  we,  in 
our  nature,  had  broken  ;  he  revives  it 
for  us,  and  it  is  accepted  of  God,  no 
less  than  if  the  first  character  of  his  law 
had  been  still  entire.  We  can  give  no- 
thing but  the  table  ;  it  is  God  that  must 
write  in  it.  Our  hearts  are  but  a  bare 
board  till  God  by  his  finger  engrave  his 
law  in  them.  Yea,  Lord,  we  are  a 
rough  quarry ;  hew  thou  us  out,  and 
square  us  fit  for  thee  to  write  upon. 
Bp.  Hall. 

29.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  Moses 
came  down,  &c.  Notwithstanding  the 
slight  air  of  confusion  in  the  statement 
of  this  verse,  the  meaning  of  the  writer 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


257 


29  U  And  it  came  to  pass  when 
Moses  came  down  from  mount 
Sinai  (with  the  g  two  tables  of 
testimony  in  Moses'  hand,  when 


gch.  32.  15. 


is  yet  too  obvious  to  be  misunderstood. 
The  time  of  Jehovah's  '  talking  with 
him'  was  indeed  prior  to  his  coming 
down  from  the  mount,  and  it  w^as  then 
that  his  face  began  to  shin^  but  he 
had  not  become  conscious  of  the  fact 
till  after  he  had  descended.    The  rea- 
son why  his  countenance  shone  now. 
and  not  when  he  came  down  the  first 
time  from  the  mount  undoubtedly  was, 
that  during  the  second  time  he  had  been 
favored  with  far  more  glorious  views  of 
the  divine    character  and    perfections 
than  before.     The  original  for  '  wist 
not  that  the  skin  of  his  face  shone'  is 
T^SS  miP  l^p  ^5  5>n^  ad  lo  yada  ki 
karan  or  panauv,  were  the  verb  '^'^p 
karan  signifies   to  irradiate,   to  shoot 
forth  or  emit  rays  of  light ;  whence, 
from  the  idea  of  shooting  forth,  comes 
the  noun  '^'np  keren,  a  horn.    This  fact 
throws  an  important  light  upon  the  well- 
known  passage  in  the  sublime  descrip- 
tion of  the  Most  High,  Hab.  3.  3,  4, 
'God  came  from  Teman,  and  the  Holy 
One  from  mount  Paran.    Selah.    His 
glory  covered    the    heavens,   and  the 
earth  was  full  of  his  praise.    And  his 
brightness  was  as  the   light ;   he  had 
horns  coming  out  of  his   hands ;  and 
there  was  the  hiding  of  his  power.' 
It  is  not    perhaps  to    be    confidently 
affirmed  that  this  rendering  is  errone- 
ous, inasmuch  as  the  original  word  is 
that    which    is    usually   and    properly 
translated  /lorns.    Yet  we  think   that 
scarcely  any  one  can  help  being  con- 
scious of  some  slight  incongruity  in  the 
imagery.  The  head,  and  not  the  hands, 
is  the  proper  place  for  the  outgrowth 
of  hoi-ns.     But  suppose  the  term  to  be 
rendered  '  rays,'  and  to  have  reference 
to  the  streaming  or  flashing  splendors 
which  emanated  from  the  hands  of  the 
22* 


he  came  down  from  the  mount) 
that  Moses  wist  not  that  h  the  skin 
of  his  face  shone,  while  he  talked 
with  him. 

h  Matt.  17.  2.  2  Cor.  3.  7. 13. 

personified  glory  of  Jehovah,  and  the 
image  is  far  more  grand  and  impressive 
Conceive  the  word,  in  fact,  to  be  but 
another  term  for  lightnings,  and  we 
see  at  once  with  what  propriety  it  rs 
added,  'And  there  was  the  hiding  of  his 
power.'  What  more  striking  emblem 
could  be  imagined  of  the  resistless 
might  of  Omnipotence?  Here  too  we 
are  not  improbably  enabled  to  trace  the 
origin  of  the  ancient  Greek  mythologic 
device,  which  represents  Jupiter,  the 
father  of  the  gods,  as  grasping  the 
lightnings  or  thunderbolts  in  his  right 
hand,  as  a  symbol  of  his  power  over 
the  elements.  We  suggest  this,  how- 
ever, as  rather  probable  than  certain. 
Whatever  may  be  thought  of  it,  no 
doubt  can  remain  as  to  the  etymologi- 
cal affinity  between  '  rays'  and  '  horns,' 
and  with  this  fact  before  us,  we  can 
easily  account  for  the  strange  render- 
ing of  the  Lat.  Vulgate  ;  '  Ignorabat 
quod  cornuta  esset  facies  sua,'  he  knew 
not  that  his  face  was  horned,  which  is 
evidently  as  improper  as  it  would  be 
to  translate  the  word  '  rayed'  when  ap- 
plied to  an  ox  or  a  goat.  Yet  in  ac- 
cordance-with  this  error,  the  Italian 
painters,  who  were  unacquainted  with 
any  other  version,  have  for  the  most 
part  represented  Moses  with  the  un- 
couth appendage  of  horns!  The.se 
pictures  have  been  copied  into  engrav- 
ings, and  thus  it  is  that  in  ancient  bibli- 
cal cuts  we  often  see  him  thus  depict- 
ed. This  circumstance  of  'rays'  and 
'  horns'  having  a  common  radical  has 
led  moreover  to  a  verbal  as  well  as  a 
pictorial  confounding  the  two.  Thus 
the  eloquent  Jeremy  Taylor  in  his 
'  Holy  Dying,'  p.  17,  describes  the  ris- 
ing sun  as  '  peeping  over  the  eastern 
hills,  thrusting  out  his  golden  hornsJ 


258 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


The  Gr.  version  renders  nearer  to  the 
sense  of  the  original  by  SeSj^aarai,  was 
glorified,  or  made  glorious,  whence 
the  apostle,  2  Cor.  3.  7,  says,  '  The 
cliildren  of  Israel  could  not  steadfast- 
ly behold  the  face  of  Moses  for  the 
glory  (^6o^a)  of  his  countenance,  i.  e. 
the  exceeding  brightness.  Chal.  'Mo- 
ses knew  not  that  the  brightness  of 
the  glory  of  his  face  was  multiplied.' 
Sir  Thomas  Brown,  according  to  the 
Editor  of  the  Pictorial  Bible,  is  prob- 
ably correct  in  his  understanding  of  the 
matter,  after  Tremellius  and  Estius ; 
'His  face  was  radiant,  and  dispersing 
beams,  like  many  horns  or  cones  about 
his  head  ;  which  is  also  consonant  unto 
the  original  signification,  and  yet  ob- 
served in  the  pieces  (pictures)  of  our 
Savior  and  the  Virgin  Mary,  who  are 
commonly  drawn  with  scintillations  or 
radiant  halos,  about  their  head  ;  which, 
after  the  French  expression,  are  called, 
the  Glory.'  He  remarks,  moreover, 
that  the  custom  among  painters  of  put- 
ting '  glories'  around  the  heads  of  sa- 
cred persons  no  doubt  arose  from  this 
fact  concerning  Moses.  'We  are  not 
aware,'  says  he,  '  of  any  other  author- 
ity, except  that  the  raiment  of  Christ 
became  shining  at  the  transfiguration. 
The  ancient  heathen  considered  an  ir- 
radiation or  lambent  flame  about  the 
head,  as  a  manifestation  of  the  divine 
favor  and  protection.  But  whether  this 
arose  from  any  tradition  concerning 
Moses  it  is  impossible  to  determine.' 
The  notions  of  the  Mohammedans  on 
this  subject,  which  are  very  curious,  and 
which  probably  arose  from  a  Scriptural 
source,   may   be  seen   detailed    in  my 

'  Life   of  Mohammed.' IT   Wist  not 

that  the  sJcin  of  his  face  shone.  What 
was  visible  to  others  was  hidden  to  him- 
self. Although  from  the  efiects  of  his 
transforming  communion  with  the  di- 
vine presence  he  had  become  in  a  meas- 
ure 'changed  into  the  same  image,  from 
glory  to  glory,'  yet  he  remained  in  per- 
fect unconsciousness  of  the  fact  !    How 


this  could  have  happened,  we  feel  but 
little  interest  to  inquire.  Calvin  thinks 
it  not  improbable,  that  the  miraculous 
effulgence  may  have  been  restrained 
from  bursting  forth  until  Moses  came 
into  the  immediate  presence  of  Aaron 
and  the  people,  that  they  might  have 
an  impressive  view  of  the  phenomenon. 
But  however  this  may  be,  it  is  a  theme 
of  more  profitable  contemplation  as 
viewed  tn  its  emblematical  applica- 
tions. 'He  wist  not  that  the  skin  of 
his  face  shone  ;'  nor  is  it  ever  found 
that  those  who  bear  much  of  the  divine 
image  are  conscious  of  the  moral  glory 
which  has  passed  upon  them.  Their 
minds  are  so  fixed  upon  their  own  de- 
fects ;  they  are  so  deeply  convinced  of 
the  corruption  of  their  nature  ;  they  are 
so  profoundly  penetrated  with  the  sense 
of  tlieir  ill  desert,  that  so  far  from  re- 
cognising any  peculiar  tokens  of  divine 
favor  in  themselves,  they  are  rathei 
prone  to  say  with  Job,  '  If  I  had  call- 
ed, and  he  had  answered  me  ;  yet  would 
I  not  believe  that  he  had  hearkened  un- 
to my  voice.'  Instead  of  realizing  the 
possession  of  distinguished  graces,  they 
still  count  themselves  as  '  less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints.'  To  others  their 
spiritual  excellencies  shine  forth  with 
great  lustre,  but  they  are  blind  to  them 
themselves  ;  and  the  nearer  they  attain 
to  the  view  of  the  divine  glory  ;  the 
more  familiar  their  converse  with  in- 
finite excellence,  the  more  unconscious 
do  the)'^  become  of  its  effects  upon  them. 
Has  one  been  recently  on  the  mount  in 
beatific  fellowship  with  God,  the  evi- 
dence of  it  will  appear  when  he  comes 
down.  It  will  shov/  itself  in  the  height- 
ened meekness  and  sweetness  of  his 
temper,  in  the  sanctity  of  his  demeanor, 
in  the  quickened  zeal  of  his  efforts  to 
do  good,  and  in  the  subdued,  heavenly, 
and  Christ-like  spirit  that  breathes 
through  all  his  deportment.  But  to  all 
this  he  will  be  himself  unconscious. 
'Whatever  beauty  God  puts  upon  us, 
we  should  still  be  filled  with  such  an 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


259 


30  And  when  Aaron  and  all  the 
children  of  Israel  saw  Moses,  be- 
hold, the  skin  of  his  face  shone ; 
and  they  were  afraid  to  come  nigh 
him. 

humble  sense  of  our  own  unworlhiness 
and  manifold  infirmities,  as  will  make 
us  even  overlook  and  forget  that  which 
makes  our  faces  shine.'     Henry. 

30.  And  they  were  afraid  to  come 
nigh  him.  'The  circumstance  of  their 
being  strangely  repelled  from  his  pres- 
sence,  was  probably  the  first  intimation 
that  Moses  had  of  there  being  any  thing 
preternatural  or  peculiar  in  his  appear- 
ance. How  must  he  have  been  sur- 
prised to  find  himself  the  unsuspecting 
cause  of  a  dispersion  among  his  friends, 
somewhat  similar  to  that  which  took 
place  among  the  band  that  came  under 
the  conduct  of  Judas  to  apprehend  the 
Savior,  when  a  supernatural  sometliing 
in  his  aspect  struck  them  so  overpower- 
iiigly  that  '  they  went  backward  and 
fell  to  the  ground?'  But  why  lliis  in- 
timidation at  this  time?  Wliat  made 
Israel  to  shrink  from  the  face  of  their 
leader,  intercessor,  and  friend?  What 
could  render  the  presence  of  his  affec- 
tionate brother  formidable  to  Aaron? 
Moses  had  come  to  them  with  his  heart 
overflowing  with  good  will,  and  exult- 
ing in  the  thought  of  having  procured 
pardon  and  reconciliation  for  their  of- 
fences. Why  then  do  they  avoid  his 
presence,  instead  of  greeting  him  with 
a  cordial  welcome?  Alas,  the  same  in- 
ward impulse  which  led  the  first  trans- 
gressors to  '  hide  themselves  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,'  is  at  work  in 
their  bosoms.  It  is  conscious  guilt  that 
is  driving  them  away  from  unconscious 
goodness.  Under  the  awful  terrors  of 
the  glory  of  Jehovah  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore they  had  earnestly  besought,  saj'- 
ing,  '  Let  Moses  speak  to  us  and  we 
will  hear.'  But  now  even  the  bare  look 
of  Moses  fills  them  with  dismay,  and 
they  flee  from  the  sight  of  it !     An  ac- 


31  And  Moses  called  unto  them; 
and  Aaron  and  all  the  rulers  of  the 
congregation  returned  unto  him: 
and  Moses  talked  Avith  them. 


cusing  conscience  has  so  disturbed  their 
perception,  that  the  beaming  radiance 
of  his  countenance  has  converted  him 
into  a  flaming  minister  of  heaven  pre- 
pared to  execute  vengeance  upon  them  ! 
'That  which  should  have  comforted,  af- 
frights  them  ;  yea,  Aaron  himself,  that 
before  went  up  into  the  mountain  to  see 
and  speak  with  God,  now  is  afraid  to 
see  him  that  had  seen  God!  Such 
a  fear  there  is  in  guiltiness  —  such 
confidence  in  innocency.  When  the 
soul  is  once  cleared  from  sin,  it  shall 
run  to  that  glory  with  joy,  the  least 
glimpse  whereof  now  appals  it,  and 
sends  it  away  in  terror.  How  could 
the  Israelites  now  choose  but  think, 
How  shall  we  abide  to  look  God  in  the 
face,  since  our  eyes  are  dazzled  with 
the  face  of  Moses?  And  well  may  we 
still  argue,  if  the  image  of  God  which 
he  hath  set  in  tlie  fleshly  forehead  of 
authority  daunt  us,  how  shall  we  stand 
before  the  dreadful  tribunal  of  heaven  V 
Bp.  Hall. 

3L  And  Moses  called  unto  them,  kc. 
Whatever  might  have  been  the  cause 
of  their  fleeing,  lie  was  conscious  that 
it  was  nothing  in  the  state  of  his  feel- 
ings towards  them.  The  real  cause, 
however,  was  soon  disclosed  to  him, 
and  far  from  being  elated  with  the 
honor  conferred  upon  him  or  desirous 
to  make  his  authority  felt  in  keeping 
his  people  at  a  distance,  his  disposition 
is  quite  the  reverse.  Considered  in  it- 
self, the  phenomenon  would  tend  great- 
ly to  enhance  his  authority  among  the 
congregation.  There  could  not  be  a  more 
striking  attestation  to  the  divine  com- 
mission which  he  had  received,  as  their 
leader  and  law-giver,  than  this  super- 
natural appearance.  It  invested  him 
with  a  badge  of  honor  such  as  no  dia- 


260 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


dem  could  have  conferred.  It  was  in 
fact  a  crown  of  light  to  his  head  ;  and 
decisively  marked  him  out  as  one  who 
was  appointed  of  God  to  fill  the  place 
which  he  occupied.  Yet  he  is  far  from 
priding  himself  upon  this  distinction, 
or  from  a  desire  to  overawe  his  breth- 
ren. On  the  contrary  he  is  exceedingly 
anxious  to  reassure  their  confidence. 
Accordingly  in  all  the  simplicity  of  a 
kind  and  affectionate  spirit,  he  invites 
them  to  come  near.  And  in  order  to  re- 
move all  let  or  hindrance  to  their  re- 
turning, he  covers  his  face  with  a 
veil,  which  he  continued  to  wear  all 
the  time  that  he  was  speaking  to  them, 
but  laid  aside  whenever  he  went  into 
the  tabernacle  to  appear  before  the 
Lord.  In  doing  this,  he  set  a  noble  ex- 
ample of  condescending  meekness,  of 
modesty,  of  self-renunciation.  Had  he 
been  a  man  of  another  mould,  he  would 
probably  have  stood  upon  his  prerog- 
ative, and  said,  *If  God  has  been  pleas- 
?d  miraculously  to  distinguish  me,  am 
I  responsible  for  the  effects  of  it?  If 
chere  is  a  supernatural  splendor  about 
my  face,  God  put  it  there  j  and  it  is  not 
probable  that  he  would  have  made  it  so 
conspicuous  had  he  intended  it  should 
be  concealed.  It  is  much  more  proper 
that  you  should  hide  your  guilty  heads, 
than  that  I  should,  draw  a  veil  over 
mine.'  But  so  spake  not  Moses.  He 
chose  rather  to  hide  from  their  view 
the  wonderful  work  of  God  upon  his 
person  than  to  forego  the  opportunity 
of  declaring  his  will  to  the  people — a 
conduct  which  fully  warrants  the  re- 
mark of  Bp.  Hall,  that  'Moses  had 
more  glory  by  his  veil  than  by  his 
face.'  Vain  glory  always  defeats  the 
ends  at  which  it  aims,  while  humility 
gains  the  point  of  which  it  little  thought, 
for  which  it  was  least  of  all  anxious. 
Who  does  but  esteem  Moses,  modestly 
shrouded  in  a  veil,  infinitely  more  than 
he  does  the  most  loquacious  boaster 
and  exhibitor  of  himself,  who  ever 
sought  to  shine  in  the  eyes  of  men, 


while  he  heeded  not  how  he  might  ap- 
pear in  the  eyes  of  God?  In  this  in- 
cident we  learn  what  kind  of  spirit 
should  ever  mark  the  deportment  of 
him,  who  is  favored  with  high  spirit- 
ual attainments  and  revelations.  It  is 
indeed  scarcely  possible  to  converse 
much  with  God  without  appearing  more 
glorious  in  the  eyes  of  man.  But  no- 
thing can  be  more  foreign  to  the  temper 
of  such  a  man  than  an  ostentatious 
blazoning  of  what  God  has  done  for  his 
soul.  He  will  not  be  forward  to  talk 
of  remarkable  discoveries,  to  exhibit 
the  shining  of  his  face,  to  abash  and 
confound  a  less  favored  brother.  On 
the  contrary,  he  will  be  meek,  modest, 
and  retiring.  He  will  be  more  anxious 
to  do  good  to  others,  than  to  gain  eclat 
for  himself.  He  will  accommodate  him- 
self to  the  weakness  of  those  whose 
progress  may  not  have  kept  pace  with 
his  own.  He  will  strive  to  abate  envy 
by  condescension  and  courtesy,  nor  will 
he  be  forward  to  make  his  experiences 
the  theme  of  discourse,  unless,  as  in  the 
case  of  Paul,  a  supreme  regard  to  the 
glory  of  God  may  compel  him  to  bear 
witness  to  extraordinary  manifesta- 
tions, in  order  to  put  to  shame  and 
silence  the  disparaging  reflections  of 
gainsayers.  Even  then  it  will  be  a  re- 
luctant disclosure  that  is  made.  It  will 
be  made  only  because  it  is  extorted  by 
a  paramount  regard  to  the  interests  ol 
truth.  He  will  say,  or  at  least  feel, 
with  the  apostle,  '  I  am  become  a  fool 
in  glorying ;  ye  have  compelled  me.' 

Again,  the  incident  before  us  is  a 
plain  and  striking  lesson  to  all  who  un- 
dertake to  instruct  others.  It  is  a  piti- 
ful ambition,  to  seek  merely  to  shine. 
The  great  aim  of  a  moral  teacher  should 
be  to  communicate  most  eflfectually  use- 
ful  and  saving  knowledge.  In  doing 
this  he  is  to  think  little  of  what  imme- 
diately  concerns  himself,  or  the  impres- 
sion which  he  may  personally  make.  If 
the  minds  of  men,  if  the  church  of  God, 
be  enlightened,  what  matters  it  if  he  is 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


261 


32  And  afterward  all  the  children 
of  Israel  came  nigh :  i  and  he  gave 
them  in  commandment  all  that 
the  Lord  had  spoken  with  him  in 
mount  Sinai. 

i  en.  24.  3. 

himself  somewhat  obscured?  He  is  re- 
quired to  consult  the  condition  and  ca- 
pacities of  those  for  whose  good  he  la- 
bors. He  is  to  accommodate  himself 
to  their  weakness ;  he  is  not  to  op- 
press their  minds  w'ith  a  burden  even  of 
truth  ;  he  is  in  all  things  to  study  their 
edification.  So  doing  he  may  safely 
leave  his  reputation  to  God.  He  will 
take  care  of  it.  Let  his  mind  be  intent 
upon  usefulness;  let  him  be  willing 
joyfully  to  give  up  fame  for  the  sake  of 
doing  good,  and  he  need  not  fear  but  as 
much  celebrity  will  crown  his  name  as 
will  benefit  the  cause  to  which  he  is  de- 
voted, and  more  he  will  not  desire. 

But  the  veil  which  Moses  constantly 
wore  in  his  intercourse  with  the  people, 
he  laid  aside  whenever  he  went  to  com- 
mune with  God,  and  to  receive  instruc- 
tion from  him.  There  the  lustre  of  his 
face  would  be  renewed  and  brightened 
again  in  the  beams  of  that  splendor 
from  which  it  had  been  first  received  ; 
and  doubtless  on  every  return  from  such 
visits,  the  Israelites  would  perceive 
that  he  had  been  with  God.  And  so 
the  truth  will  generally  evince  itself 
to  others  whenever  any  one  has  been 
favored  with  near  approaches  to  God 
in  prayer  and  communion.  His  face 
will  shine  brighter  upon  every  re- 
newed access  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
and  the  beauty  of  the  Lord  his  God 
will  be  upon  him.  He  will  be  percept- 
ibly more  and  more  transformed  into 
the  image  of  that  with  which  he  is 
familiar.  His  very  exterior  will  be 
meliorated  and  improved.  The  exer- 
cises of  the  closet  will  be  seen  and 
felt  in  the  serenity  of  his  countenance, 
in  the  benignity  of  the  eye,  in  the  gen- 
tle tones  of  the  voice,  and  in  the  in- 


33  And  ^i// Moses  had  done  speak- 
ing with  them,  he  put  ^  a  vail  oa 
his  face. 


1^2  Cor.  3.  13. 


creased  affability  and  graciousness  of 
the  whole  deportment.  The  world  it- 
self will  take  knowledge  of  the  disciple 
who  has  been  w-ith  Jesus.  Yet  the 
main  remark  suggested  by  this  part  of 
the  narrative  is,  that  when  we  come  to 
present  ourselves  before  God  every  veil 
must  be  laid  aside,  and  no  disguise  or 
concealment  attempted  before  the  eyes 
of  him  with  whom  we  have  to  do,  and 
to  whom  all  things  are  naked  and  open. 
As  we  do  in  fact  appear  then  in  the  un- 
veiled truth  of  our  character,  it  is  folly 
to  act  as  if  it  were  not  so ;  as  if  any 
illusion  could  be  practised  upon  Om- 
niscience. 'When  Moses  went  to  speak 
with  God,  he  pulled  off  his  veil.  It 
was  good  reason  he  should  present  to 
God  that  face  which  he  had  made; 
there  had  been  more  need  of  his  veil  to 
hide  the  glorious  face  of  God  from  him, 
than  to  hide  his  from  God;  but  his 
faith  and  thankfulness  serve  for  both 
these  uses.  Hypocrites  are  contrary 
to  Moses.  He  showed  his  worst  to 
men,  his  best  to  God  ;  they  show  their 
best  to  men,  their  worst  to  God  ;  but 
God  sees  both  their  veil  and  their  lace  ; 
and  I  know  not  whether  he  more  hates 
their  veil  of  dissimulation,  or  their  face 
of  wickedness.'    Bp.  Hall. 

33.  And  till  Moses  had  done  speak- 
ing  with  them,  he  put  a  veil  on  his  face. 
The  sense  is  undoubtedly  correctly  rend- 
ered, although  the  idiom  of  the  original 
requires  the  insertion  of  <  till '  in  our 
translation.  Rosenmuller  and  some  few 
others  do  indeed  contend  that  the  true 
rendering  requires  the  omission  of  all 
supplementary  words,  inasmuch  as  Mo- 
ses intended  to  say  that  he  had  finished 
speaking  before  he  assumed  a  veil. 
But  this  construction  goes  so  decidedly 


262 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


34  But  1  when  Moses  went  in  be- 
fore the  Lord  to  speak  with  him, 
he  took  the  vail  off,  until  he  came 
out.  And  he  came  out  and  spake 
unto  the  children  of  Israel  that 
which  he  was  commanded. 

1  2  Cor.  3.  16. 

igainst  the  whole  current  of  ancient 
interpreters,  and  the  manifest  drift  of 
the  context,  that  it  will  be  superfluous 
labor  to  confute  it.  We  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  taking  the  passage  as  it  reads, 
and  thus  understood  we  are  led  to  view 
it  in  connexion  with  the  typical  appli- 
cation made  of  it  by  the  apostle,  2  Cor. 
3.  6 — 18.  He  evidently  employs  the 
mcident  as  shadowing  forth  in  a  typical 
way  the  relative  glories  of  the  legal 
and  evangelical  dispensations.  We  give 
the  passage  at  length.  '  But  if  tlie 
ministration  of  death,  written  and  en- 
graven in  stones,  was  glorious,  so  that 
the  children  of  Israel  could  not  stead- 
fastly  behold  the  face  of  Moses  for  the 
glory  of  his  countenance  ;  which  glory 
was  to  be  done  away:  How  shall  not 
the  ministration  of  the  Spirit  be  rather 
glorious?  For  if  the  ministration  of 
condemnation  be  glory,  much  more 
doth  the  ministration  of  righteousness 
exceed  in  glory.  For  even  that  which 
was  made  glorious  had  no  glory  in  this 
respect,  by  reason  of  the  glory  that  ex- 
celleth.  For  if  that  which  is  done  away 
was  glorious,  much  more  that  which 
remainelh  is  glorious.  Seeing  then  that 
we  have  such  hope,  we  use  great  plain- 
ness of  speech:  And  not  as  Moses, 
which  put  a  veil  over  his  face,  that  the 
children  of  Israel  could  not  steadfastly 
look  to  the  end  of  that  which  is  abolish- 
ed :  But  their  minds  were  blinded :  for 
until  this  day  remaineth  the  same  veil 
untaken  away  in  the  reading  of  the  old 
testament ;  which  veil  is  done  away  in 
Christ.  But  even  unto  this  day,  when 
Moses  is  read,  the  veil  is  upon  their 
heart.  Nevertheless,  when  it  shall  turn 
to  the  Lord,  the  veil   shall  be  taken 


35  And  the  children  of  Israel  saw 
the  face  of  Moses,  that  the  skin 
of  Moses'  face  shone :  and  Moses 
put  the  vail  upon  his  face  again, 
until  he  went  in  to  speak  with 
Him. 


away.  Now  the  Lord  is  that  Spirit: 
and  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is, 
there  is  liberty.  But  we  all,  with  open 
face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  the  same 
image  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.'  Here  it  is  ob« 
vious  that  Moses  appearing  with  his 
face  veiled  stands  as  a  symbol  of  his 
own  dispensation,  which  was  in  fact 
only  the  gospel  under  a  veil.  Whether 
Moses  himself  was  conscious  that  any 
such  mystic  or  spiritual  import  was 
couched  under  the  incident  may  well 
be  doubted  ;  but  we  can  have  no  doubt 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  by  the  hand  of 
Paul  has  sanctioned  this  allegorical  use 
of  the  fact  in  question.  It  is  plainly 
set  before  us  as  having  a  three-fold 
phasis  of  emblematic  meaning. 

(1.)  It  is  represented  as  being  sym- 
bolical of  the  intrinsic  glory  or  excel- 
lence of  that  dispensation,  notwith- 
standing it  is  the  special  drift  of  the 
apostle  to  show  that  however  glorious 
or  excellent  that  dispensation  was,  it  had 
no  glory  compared  with  the  superior 
glory  of  the  gospel.  The  law  was 
glorious  in  the  pure  and  holy  nature  of 
its  precepts,  which  reflected  the  attri- 
butes of  a  glorious  God,  and  it  was 
glorious  in  the  circumstances  of  its  de- 
livery. But  as  the  glory  of  Moses'  face 
was  absorbed  and  lost  in  the  splendor 
of  God  when  he  went  into  his  presence 
in  the  tabernacle  or  on  the  mount,  so 
the  brightness  and  excellence  of  the 
Mosaic  dispensation  are  eclipsed  and 
swallowed  up  in  the  transcendant  bright- 
ness of  the  gospel.  The  one  is  the 
shadow,  the  other  the  substance.  The 
one  is  a  ministration  of  condemnation, 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


263 


the  other  of  justification.  Let  us  not 
then  undervalue  our  distinguished  priv- 
ileges. We  should  no  doubt  be  prone 
to  think  ourselves  highly  favored  had 
we,  like  the  Jews,  a  minister  of  God's 
word,  in  whose  very  face  we  could  see 
a  miraculous  and  divine  light  shining 
continually  lo  prove  him  a  man  of  God  ; 
but  we  have  in  fact  a  far  greater  priv- 
ilege in  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  bless- 
ed God,  which  is  constantly  shedding 
forth  the  light  of  life,  and  irradiating 
men's  minds  with  its  spiritual  beams. 

(2.)  It  is  used  by  the  apostle  to  rep- 
resent the  coniTparative  obscurity  of  the 
Mosaic  dispensation.  The  veil  inti- 
mated the  indistinct  view  which  the  Is- 
raelites had  of  the  ultimate  scope  of 
their  law.  Theirs  was  a  sj'^stem  of  riles 
and  ceremonies,  under  which  was  urap- 
pcd  up  or  covered  a  variety  of  spiritual 
subjects  that  their  minds  did  not  pene- 
trate. They  did  not  lift  the  veil  so  as  to 
obtain  a  sight  of  the  spiritual  treasures 
which  it  concealed.  They  did  not  look 
to  the  'end  of  the  commandment,'  which 
was  to  be  '  abolished,'  but  rested  in  the 
mere  letter,  or  literal  meaning,  which 
was  comparatively  meagre  and  barren. 

(3.)  It  represents  the  blindness  and 
ignorance  under  which  the  Jewish  mind 
labored  down  to  the  time  when  Paul 
wrote,  and  which  is  not  even  yet,  after 
the  lapse  of  eighteen  hundred  years,  re- 
moved. Age  after  age  the  inveterate  pre- 
judice and  obduracy  of  the  Jewish  heart 
has  prevented  them  from  discerning  the 
true  sense  of  their  own  law,  of  its  fig- 
tires,  types,  and  institutions,  just  as 
efiectually  as  the  veil  on  the  face  of 
Moses  prevented  them  from  beholding 
the  beauty  of  his  countenance.  They 
read  the  books  of  their  lawgiver,  but  in 
the  sacrifices  and  services  there  pre- 
scribed they  see  no  intimation  of  that 
Lamb  of  richer  blood  and  that  Priest 
of  higher  name,  whom  we  are  taught  to 
recognise  as  foreshadowed  by  them. 
They  read  the  predictions  of  the  proph- 
ets, but  they  do  not  see  them  pointing 


to  the  Savior  Christ,  the  trutj  Messiah, 
in  whom  all  their  oracles  are  fulfilled. 
The  thick  veil  of  error  and  unbelief  is 
upon  their  minds,  and  until  tjiat  is  taken 
away,  as  we  learn  it  eventually  shall 
be,  the  light  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
gospel  of  his  Son  will  not  shine  into 
them. 

But  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  this 
veil  of  darkness  and  unbelief  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  Jewish  people.  The  nat- 
ural man,  whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  does 
not  receive  the  things  of  the  Spirit  ol 
God.  We  see  it  and  wonder  at  it  in 
them,  but  are  unconscious  of  it  in  our- 
selves.  Yet  we  are  in  fact  monuments 
of  greater  obduracy  than  they,  because 
there  was  in  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  a  veil  cast  over  their  dispensation 
which  is  removed  from  ours.  Let  us 
be  reminded  then  that  '  if  the  gospel  be 
hid  (Gr.  ;.£\aXt)/x/(£foi',  veiled)  it  is  hid 
to  them  that  are  lost,  in  whom  the 
god  of  this  world  hath  blinded  the 
minds  of  them  which  believe  not.  The 
prevailing  power  of  a  worldly  spirit 
may  as  effectually  tend  to  judaize  our 
minds  and  thus  obscure  our  spiritual 
vision,  as  the  strictest  adherence  to  the 
traditions  of  Rabbinical  elders.  How 
earnestly  then  should  we  strive  to  di- 
vest ourselves  of  every  interposing  me- 
dium that  would  prevent  the  free  ad- 
mission of  the  glorious  light  of  the  gos- 
pel into  our  souls  !  With  what  a  trans- 
forming power  does  it  come  !  To  what 
a  height  of  privilege  and  blessedness 
does  it  exalt  its  possessor  !  'We  all, 
with  open  face,  beholding  as  in  a  glass 
the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed 
into  the  same  image  from  glory  to 
glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord.'  These  words  contain  an  evident 
allusion  to  the  Old  Testament  narrative 
which  we  are  now  considering.  The 
apostle  is  drawing  a  contrast  between 
the  genius  of  the  two  dispensations  as 
it  relates  to  the  privilege  of  their  re- 
spective subjects.  When  Moses  was 
favored  with  a  partial  view  of  the  glory 


264r 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


of  God  as  he  passed  by  him,  he  was  not 
only  stationed  in  a  cave,  a  cleft  in  the 
rock,  but  a  cloud  was  interposed  be- 
tween him  and  the  resplendent  object 
of  his  vision,  lest  its  brightness  should 
be  too  dazzling  for  his  visual  powers. 
Yet    notwithstanding   this  precaution, 
so  much  of  the  splendor  of  the  divine 
glory  was  communicated  to  his  coun- 
tenance that  he  was  obliged  to  veil  him- 
self when  he  appeared  before  the  people. 
As  he  could  not  see  God  without  the 
medium  of  a  cloud,  so  they  could  not 
see  him  without  the  medium  of  a  veil. 
The  one  was   the   counterpart   of  the 
other.    But  under  the  gospel  the  case 
is  entirely  changed.    We  can  now  look 
upon  the  moral  glory  of  God  '  with  open 
face,'  without  any  intervening  cloud  or 
veil.     And  when  he  says  we  behold  this 
glory  '  as  in  a  glass'     (KnTOTTTpi^7[ievoi), 
the  allusion  is  doubtless  to  the  effect 
produced  by  looking  into  a  highly  burn- 
ished  mirror.     Macknight  renders   it, 
'  we  all  reflecting  as  mirrors  the  glory 
of  the  Lord.'     If  a  strong  light  were 
thrown  upon  the  polished  surface  of  a 
mirror,  the  rays  would  be  cast  by  re- 
flection upon  the  face  of  the  beholder, 
which  would  consequently  be  strongly 
illuminated.  Such  was  the  case  to  some 
extent  with  Moses.    The  radiation  that 
came  upon  him  from  the  glory  of  the 
Shekinah,  and  so  wondrously  illumined 
his  face,  was  a  kind  of  flashing  reflec- 
tion from  the  transcendant  brightness 
of  the  Deity.    But  still  more  signally 
does  this  occur  under  the  gospel.     The 
glory  of  God,  the  splendor  of  the  divine 
perfections,  is  thrown  on  the  gospel,  so 
to  speak,  like  a  bright  light  on  a  pol- 
ished mirror,  and  that  glory  is  so  re- 
flected on  him  that  believingly  contem- 
plates it,  that  he  appears  to  be  trans- 
formed into  the  same  image.    Nothing 
can  be  more  significant  or  happy  than 
the  figure  employed  ;  and  we  should  at 
least  draw  from  it  the  inference,  that 
we  are  not  to  rest  satisfied  unless  we 
find  that  the  view  which  we  take  of  the 


divine  character  in  the  gospel  is  as. 
similating.  No  visible  effect  analogous 
to  that  wrought  upon  Moses  is  indeed 
to  be  expected  to  be  produced  upon  our 
bodies,  but  the  character  of  our  minds 
will  be  affected,  the  graces  of  our  souls 
will  be  quickened,  by  habitual  inter- 
course and  converse  with  the  glorious 
realities  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Nor 
should  any  thing  short  of  this  content 
those  who  are  lioping  at  last  to  '  awake 
in  his  likeness.' 

Again,  we  learn  from  this  incident  as 
used  by  the  apostle,  how  much  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New  serve  mutually 
to  explain  each  other.  Very  often  what 
is  obscure  in  the  former  becomes  lumin- 
ous in  the  latter;  and  again,  what  is 
dark  or  indistinct  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment often  receives  a  flood  of  light 
from  some  kindred  passage  in  the  Old. 
No  sentiment  more  injurious  to  the  inter- 
ests of  truth  could  possibly  come  into 
vogue,  than  that  the  Old  Testament  is 
superseded  by  the  New,  and  therefore 
that  the  study  of  it  has  but  slight  claims 
upon  the  Christian.  The  Old  and  the 
New  Testament  form  one  continuous 
system  of  revelation,  the  latter  being 
merely  the  developement  of  the  mterior 
sense,  and  the  substantiation  of  the 
typical  shadows,  of  the  former.  He 
who  sees  in  the  books  of  Moses  and  the 
other  writings  of  the  Old  Testament, 
nothing  but  the  histories  of  certain 
events  long  since  past,  and  a  mass  of 
religious  usages  and  ceremonies  prac- 
tised by  a  particular  people,  with  none 
of  which  we  have  any  special  concern, 
may  be  said  to  look  not  merely  with  a 
veil,  but  with  a  bandage,  upon  his  eyes, 
and  as  he  reads  without  understand- 
ing, he  reads  without  profit.  Such  an 
one  is  not  only  unfaithful  to  the  true 
interests  of  his  own  soul,  but  he  is  guilty 
of  downright  disparagement  of  the  ora- 
cles of  God,  which  are  able  to  make  us 
wise  unto  salvation.  Let  us  then  pray 
the  prayer  of  David  in  reference  to  the 
same  Scriptures,  'Open  thou  mine  eyes 


B.  C.  1401.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


265 


'CHAPTER  XXXV. 

AND  Moses  gathered  all  the 
congregation  of  the  children 
of  Israel  together,  and  said  unto 
them,  a  These  are  the  words  which 
the  Lord  hath  commanded,  that 
ye  should  do  them. 

ach.  34.  32. 

that  I  may  behold  wondrous  things  out 
of  thy  law.' 

Finally,    let    the    suggestion    come 
home  to  us  in  all  its  power,  that  if  we 
belong  to  the  true  Israel  of  God  we 
shall  not  always   see  thus  through  a 
glass   darkly.     The    glimpses    of   the 
heavenly  glory  which  we   catch  here 
below  from  time  to  time  are  indeed  re- 
freshing and  precious  to  the  soul.     But 
they  are  transient  and  evanescent.    God 
reveals  himself  as  he  did  to  Moses,  in 
passing  by.   We  see  him  for  a  moment, 
and  he   is  gone.      But  the  time  is  at 
hand  when  the  beatific  vision  will  be  at 
once  perfect  and  perpetual.     In   what 
lustre  and  glory  will  the   children  of 
the  kingdom  then  shine  forth  .'     What 
will  be  the  blissful  state  of  those  who 
shall  be  admitted  into  the  paradise  of 
God,  when  they  shall  each  of  them  ap- 
pear in  a  splendor  not  like  that  which 
invested    Moses    at  mount  Sinai,   but 
rather  like  that  which  enrobed  him  as 
a  garment  of  light  at  the  transfigura- 
tion-scene of  mount  Tabor  !     How  dif- 
ferent from  our  present  state .'      Now 
we  see  but  vaguely,  and  know  but  in 
part.    There  we  shall  see  face  to  face, 
and  know  as  we  are    known ;  for  no 
cloud,  will    intercept    the    enraptured 
vision.     Was  Moses  made  honorable 
in  the  sight  of  the  chosen  tribes,  by 
converse  with  Jehovah  at  Sinai?  What 
then  will  be  their  glory,  who  shall  en- 
joy a  communion  with  him  as  uninter- 
rupted as  the  flowings  of  his  love,  as 
endless  as  the  days  of  eternity  !     Be- 
hold, and  wonder ;  behold,  and  rejoice 
in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God  !    Then 
shall  the  ransomed  '  shine  forth  as  the 
Vol.  II.  23 


2  b  Six  days  shall  work  be  done, 
but  on  the  seventh  day  there  shall 
be  to  you  an  holy  day,  a  sabbath 
of  rest  to  the  Lord:  whosoever 
doeth  work  therein  shall  be  put  to 
death. 

b  ch.  20.  9.  &  31 .  14,  15.  Lev.  23.  3.  Numb. 
15.  32,  &.C.    Deut.  5.  12.    Luke  13.  14. 

sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father,'  a 
blessed  spectacle  to  each  other,  and  to 
all  the  kindreds  of  heaven  J  It  will  be 
the  eternal  day  of  Christ's  and  his 
saint's  transfiguration,  when  they  shall 
say,  with  a  rapture  which  Peter  could 
not  feel,  even  on  the  holy  mount, 
'Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here  !' 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  Offerings  for  the  Tabernacle. 

1,  2.  And  Moses  gathered  all  the  con.' 
gregation  of  the  children  of  Israel,  &c. 
God  having  now  become  reconciled  to 
his  people,  and  the  covenant  which  they 
had,  on  their  part,  annulled  by  their  re- 
cent transgression,  having  been  gra- 
ciously renewed,  the  delayed  work  of 
building  the  Tabernacle  is  ordered 
to  go  on.  This  edifice  was  to  be  con- 
structed and  furnished  of  materials  sup- 
plied by  the  liberality  of  the  people  ; 
and  they  were  now  gathered  together 
to  receive  afresh  the  intimation  of  the 
Lord's  will  respecting  the  undertaking. 
The  directions  now  given  are  prefaced 
with  a  repetition  of  the  law  of  the 
Sabbath.  As  the  sanctification  of  the 
seventh  day  is  all  along  represented  as 
a  point  of  prime  moment  in  the  system 
of  religious  service  ordained  by  God, 
we  are  not  to  be  surprised  to  find  it 
again  and  again  insisted  on  and  enforc- 
ed in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  In  the 
original  the  command  is  given  in  terms 
of  peculiar  emphasis  ; — 'On  the  seventh 
day  there  shall  be  to  you  holiness,  a 
sabbath  of  sabbatism  to  the  Lord.'  On 
that  day  no  work  was  to  be  done,  not 
even  the  work  of  the  tabernacle.    The 


266 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1493 


3  e  Ye  shall  kindle  no  fire  through- 
out your  habitations  upon  the  sab- 
bath-day. 

4  H  And  Moses  spake  unto  all 
the  congi'egation  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  saying,  d  This  is  the  thing 

cch.  16.  23.      clch.  25.  1,2. 

sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  was  greater 
than  that  of  the  sanctuary,  and  its  holy 
rest  must  not  be  invaded  under  any  pre- 
tence whatever.  However  important  the 
outward  apparatus  of  worship,  it  was 
of  less  consequence  than  the  spiritual 
necessities  of  the  soul.  One  day  in 
seven  was  none  too  much  to  be  devoted 
to  a  hallowed  recess  from  secular  busi- 
ness, and  to  a  devout  meditation  upon 
those  themes  which  the  Sabbath  was 
intended  to  familiarise  to  their  minds. 
It  was  a  day  commemorative  of  a  rest 
that  was  past,  and  typical  of  one  that 
was  to  come.  Its  peculiar  designation, 
'  sabbath  of  sabbatism,'  points  to  a  spe- 
cial plenitude  in  the  degree  of  rest 
which  it  implied,  as  if  it  were  a  de- 
signed shadow  of  that  rest,  spiritual 
and  eternal,  which  remains  for  the  peo- 
ple of  God. IT  Whosoever  doeth  work 

therein  shall  be  put  to  death.  The  clear 
and  explicit  declaration  of  this  precept 
and  its  frequent  repetition,  could  leave 
room  for  no  possible  doubt  as  to  the 
will  of  God  respecting  it ;  and  conse- 
quently the  guilt  of  violating  it  would 
be  enhanced  in  proportion.  On  these 
grounds,  therefore,  the  severe  penalty 
of  death  is  annexed  to  the  command, 
from  which  it  is  evident  that  it  was 
considered  in  this  relation  as  a  judicial 
statute. 

3.  Ye  shall  kindle  no  fire,  &c.  Not, 
probably,  that  fires  in  their  private 
dwellings  were  absolutely  forbidden  at 
all  seasons,  for  the  winters  in  Judea 
are  often  very  cold,  but  the  design 
seems  to  have  been  mainly  to  prohibit 
fires  being  made  for  the  purpose  of  car- 
rying on  the  work  of  the  sanctuary. 


which  the  Lord  commanded,  say- 
ing, 

5  Take  ye  from  among  you  an  of- 
fering unto  the  Lord:  e  whosoever 
is  of  a  willing  heart,  let  him  bring 
it,  an  offering  of  the  Lord;  gold, 
and  silver,  and  brass, 

e  eh.  25.  2. 

just  about  to  be  commenced,  the  im- 
portance and  sacredness  of  which  they 
might  interpret  as  constituting  a  license 
for  a  breach  of  the  Sabbath.  By  this 
precept  they  were  taught,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  no  plea  of  this  kind  would 
avail ;  that  none  of  the  various  pro- 
cesses of  fusing  or  moulding  the  gold, 
or  silver,  or  brass  appointed  for  the 
work  of  the  tabernacle  would  be  allow- 
ed to  interfere  with  the  devout  observ- 
ance of  holy  time,  when  every  thing 
but  the  duties  of  worship  were  to  come 
to  a  solemn  pause.  The  spirit  of  the 
precept  probably  applies  to  many  spe- 
cies of  employment  which,  under  the 
plea  of  necessity,  are  at  the  present  day 
prosecuted  on  the  Sabbath. 

5.  Take  ye  from  among  you  an  offer- 
ing unto  the  Lord.  Heb,  n?2Tn!n  teru- 
mah,  a  heave-offering,  from  Dll  rum, 
to  be  lifted  up,  exalted,  elevated.  Gr. 
and  Chal.  '  a  separation ;'  i.  e.  a  gift 
separated  and  set  apart  to  the  service 
of  God,  from  their  other  possessions. 
See  Note  on  Ex.  29.  28.  In  the  requi- 
sition for  their  offerings  or  gifts  it  will 
be  observed  that  Moses  put  no  compul- 
sion upon  the  people,  nor  did  he  give 
any  directions  as  to  the  quantity  of 
the  different  articles  which  they  should 
bring.  The  whole  was  to  be  left  to  the 
promptings  of  their  own  willing  and 
generous  hearts.  God  loves  a  cheerful 
giver,  and  instead  of  imposing  a  tax, 
he  offered  them  an  opportunity  of  show- 
ing, by  spontaneous  expressions,  how 
much  they  were  disposed  to  do  for  him 
who  had  Laid  them  under  such  infinite 
obligations.  The  most  costly  offering 
was  not  too  precious,  nor  was  the  mean- 


n.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


«:*• 


6  And  blue,  and  purple,  and  scar- 
ier, and  fine  linen,  and  goats'  hair, 

7  And  rams'  skins  dyed  red,  and 
badgers'  skins,  and  shittim-wood. 

8  And  oil  for  the  light,  fand 
spices  for  anointing  oil,  and  for  the 
sweet  incense, 

fell.  25.  6. 

est  loo  small  for  him  who  accepteth  ac- 
cording to  that  a  man  hath,  and  not  ac- 
cording to  that  he  hath  not.  To  the 
same  principle  God  now  addresses  him- 
self in  making  his  demands  for  the 
charitable  contributions  of  his  people. 
We  have  not  indeed  any  such  material 
building  to  raise,  and  therefore  may  be 
sometimes  prone  to  imagine  that  the 
same  occasion  for  the  display  of  liber- 
ality does  not  exist.  But  is  there  not 
a  spiritual  temple  which  God  designs 
to  have  erected  for  himself,  wherein  he 
may  be  glorified  ?  And  is  not  that  tem- 
ple infinitely  more  dear  to  him  than 
any  which  can  be  formed  by  human 
hands  ?  Should  not  the  manifestation 
of  his  presence,  and  the  establishment 
of  his  kingdom  in  the  world,  call  forth 
our  zeal,  as  much  as  the  erection  of 
that  fabric  in  the  wilderness  did  the 
zeal  of  the  Israelites  \  The  material 
tabernacle  was  only  a  shadow  of  that 
better  habitation  wherein  God  delights 
to  dwell.  To  the  erection  of  this  spirit- 
ual house  every  true  christian  Israelite 
is  called  to  contribute  according  as  God 
hath  given  him  ability.  And  let  it  be 
ever  remembered  that  the  blessing  will 
go  with  our  contributions  according  to 
the  free,  cordial,  generous  spirit  with 
which  they  are  made.  It  is  not  the 
amount  given,  but  the  motive  of  the 
giver,  which  is  of  account  in  God's 
sight.  Even  the  poor  widow  who  casts 
in  her  two  mites  will  receive  an  equal 
plaudit  with  Araunah,  of  whom  it  is 
said,  'All  these  things  did  Araunah,  as 
a  king,  give  unto  the  king.'  They  who 
do  what  they  can  show  evidently  that 
they  would  do  more  if  they  could. 


9  And  onyx-stones,  and  stones  to 
be  set  for  the  ephod,  and  for  the 
breast-plate. 

10  And  g  every  wise-hearted 
among  you  shall  come,  and  make 
all  that  the  Lord  hath  command- 
ed; 

gcli.31.  6. 

U  Of  a  willing  heart.  Heb.  inb  '2'^!^ 
nedib  iibbo,  willing  (in)  his  heart.  The 
original  term  D''"T!3  nadib,  signifying 
free,  spontaneous,  liberal,  and  some- 
times rendered  noble,  is  more  frequent- 
ly employed  as  a  designation  oiprincesj 
from  the  generosity,  a«d  nobleness,  and 
largeness  of  soul  by  which  they  are  sup- 
posed to  be  characterised.  In  its  sub. 
stantive  form  it  occurs  Ps.  68.  9,  'Thou, 
0  God,  didst  send  a  plentiful  rain, 
whereby  thou  didst  confirm  thine  iu- 
heritance  when  it  was  weary.'  Heb. '  a 
rain  of  liberalities  ;'  which  Chandler  in 
his  Life  of  David,  vol.  2.  p.  61,  renders, 
'  a  shower,  as  it  were  voluntarily  fall- 
ing,' and  refers  it  to  the  abundant  sup- 
ply of  manna  and  quails  which  descend- 
ed upon  the  Israelites  like  a  falling  rain 
from  heaven  j  an  interpretation  which 
seems  to  be  confirmed  by  Ps.  78.  24,  27, 
'He  opened  the  doors  of  heaven,  and 
rained  down  manna  upon  them  to  eat. 
He  rained  flesh  also  upon  them  as  dust, 
and  feathered  fowls  like  as  the  sand  of 
the  sea.' 

6.  Blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  &c. 
As  the  principal  items  contained  in  this 
chapter  have  already  been  largely  con- 
sidered in  the  Notes  on  chapters  25 — 31, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  them  and  to 
the  parallel  texts  in  the  margin  for  the 
requisite  explanations. 

10.  Every  icise-hearted.  Heb.  ^^ 
D2  iD^n  kol  hakam  lib,  every  one  wise 
of  heart ;  i.  e.  apt,  skilful,  ingenious 
in  the  various  kinds  of  workmanship 
now  required.  The  same  term  is  ap- 
plied to  the  women,  v.  25,  26.  Th« 
Heb.  word  (1)2111)1  hokmah  is  used  vari- 
ously, according  to  Maimonides  ;  some- 


268 


EXODUS. 


[B.  0.  1491. 


11  'i  The  tabernacle,  his  tent,  and 
his  covering,  his  taches,  and  his 
boards,  his  bars,  his  pillars,  and  his 
sockets ; 

12  i  The  ark,  and  the  staves 
thereof,  ivitli  the  mercy-seat,  and 
the  vail  of  the  covering ; 

13  The  k  tables,  and  his  staves, 
and  all  his  vessels,  land  the  shew- 
bread; 

14  m  The  candlestick  also  for  the 
light,  and  his  furniture,  and  his 
lamps,  with  the  oil  for  the  light; 

15  nAnd  the  incense-altar,  and 
his  staves,  o  and  the  anointing  oil, 
and  pthe  swe6t  incense,  and  the 
hanging  for  the  door  at  the  enter- 
ing in  of  the  tabernacle ; 

16  q  The  altar  of  burnt-offering, 
with  his  brazen  grate,  his  staves, 
and  all  his  vessels,  the  iaver  and 
his  foot; 

hch.  26. 1,  2,  Arc.  i  ch.  25.  10,  &c.  k  ch. 
25.  23.  I  ch.  25.  30.  Lev.  24.  5,  6.  w  ch.  25. 
31,  &c.  nch.  30.  1.  och.  30.  23.  p  ch.  30. 
34.  qch.  27.  1. 

times  for  a  deep  knowledge  of  divine 
things ;  sometimes  for  moral  virtue ; 
sometimes,  as  here,  for  skill  in  me- 
chanical arts ;  and  sometimes  for  craft 
and  subtlety.  A  passage  in  Homer, 
quoted  by  Aristotle,  remarkably  coin- 
ciding with  this,  shows  that  this  sense 
of  the  term  is  not  unknown  to  classical 
usage;  'The  gods  neither  made  him  a 
ditcher,  nor  a  plowman,  nor  any  other 
sort  oi  wise  man.'  Upon  this  Aristotle 
observes,  'We  ascribe  wisdom  in  arts  to 
those  who  excel  in  them.'  Indeed  the 
character  given  of  Wisdom  by  Solo- 
mon, Prov.  8.  12,  would  seem  to  carry 
with  it  an  allusion  to  this  sense  of  the 
term,  '  I  Wisdom  dwell  with  prudence, 
and  find  out  the  knowledge  of  witty  i?i- 
ventions.'  The  word  ;i^  I'cb,  heart,  is 
used  in  accordance  with  the  popular 
notions  of  that  age  and  people,  that  tlie 
heart  is  the  seat  of  the  understanding. 
11.  The  tabernacle,  his  tent,  and  his 


17  r  The  hangings  of  the  court, 
his  pillars,  and  their  sockets,  and 
the  hanging  for  the  door  of  the 
court ; 

18  The  pins  of  the  tabernacle, 
and  the  pins  of  the  court,  and  their 
cords ; 

19  sThe  clothes  of  service,  to  do 
service  in  the  holy  place,  the  holy 
garments  for  Aaron  the  priest,  and 
the  garments  of  his  sons,  to  minis- 
ter in  the  priest's  office. 

20  Tl  And  all  the  congregation  of 
the  children  of  Israel  departed 
from  the  presence  of  Moses. 

21  And  they  came,  every  one 
t  whose  heart  stirred  him  up,  and 
every  one  whom  his  spirit  made 
willing,  and  they  brought  the 
Lord's  offering  to  the  work  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
and  for  all  his  service,  and  for  the 
holy  garments. 

rch.  27.9.  sch.  31.  10.  &  39.1,  41.  Numb. 
4,  5,  6,  &c.  t  ver.  5.  22,  3(5,  29.  ch.  25.  2.  & 
3t).  2.  1  Chron.  28.  2,  9.  &  29.  9.  Ezra  7.  27. 
2  Cor.  8.  12.  &  9.  7. 

covering.  These  three  terms  evidently 
import  in  this  connexion  the  three  ex- 
terior sets  of  curtains.  Compare  Note 
Ex.  26.  1,  where  this  sense  of  'taber- 
nacle' and  *  tent'  is  confirmed. 

18.  The  pins  of  the  tabernacle,  &c. 
These  were  not  particularly  mentioned 
before,  though  we  have  previously  given 
a  cut  of  them  under  cli.  27. 10.  Josephus 
says  that  to  every  board  of  the  taber- 
nacle, and  to  every  pillar  of  the  court, 
there  were  ropes  or  cords  fastened  at 
the  top,  having  the  other  end  secured 
to  a  iraaaaXoi,  nail  or  pin,  which  at  a 
good  distance  off  was  driven  into  the 
ground  up  to  the  head,  a  cubit  deep.  It 
was  a  nail  or  pin  of  this  description 
which  Jael  drove  into  the  temples  of 
Sisera.    See  Note  on  Judg.  4.  21. 

20,  21.  And  all  the  congregation — de- 
parted, &c.  Having  had  the  will  ol 
God  now  fully  explained  to  them,  they 
proceed  deliberately  to  act  in  accord- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


269 


22  And  they  came,  both  men  and 
women,  as  many  as  were  willing- 
hearted,  an^/  brought  bracelets,  and 
ear-rings,  and  rings,  and  tablets,  all 
jewels  of  gold :  and  every  man 
that  offered,  offered  an  offering  of 
gold  unto  the  Lord. 

aiice  with  the  instructions  received. 
They  retire  from  the  assembly  to  their 
tents,  but  only  to  return  again  with 
their  offerings  in  their  hands.  They 
had  no  bibles  at  home  with  which  to 
compare  the  requisitions  of  their  lead- 
er, and  '  see  if  these  things  were  so,' 
but  his  commands  they  regarded  as  im- 
perative and  ultimate,  and  would  not 
allow  their  zeal  to  cool  before  obeying 
them.  There  was  no  doubt,  in  view  of 
their  recent  transgression,  the  working 
of  a  spirit  very  much  akin  to  that 
awakened  by  the  apostle  and  described 
in  his  second  epistle  to  the  Corinthian 
cliurch ;  '  For  behold  this  self-same 
thing,  that  ye  sorrowed  after  a  godly 
sort,  what  carefulness  it  wrought  in 
you,  yea,  what  clearing  of  yourselves, 
yea,  what  indignation,  yea,  what  fear, 
yea,  what  vehement  desire,  j-ea,  what 
zeal,  yea,  what  revenge  !  In  all  things 
ye  have  approved  yourselves  to  be  clear 
in  this  matter.'  The  idea  of  having 
once  done  evil  ought  to  operate  as  a 
powerful  incentive  to  ever  after  doing 

good. IT   Every  one    whose    heart 

stirred  him  up.  Heb.  "Qp  liilZ^D  ITL'^^ 
asher  nesaii  libbo,  whose  heart  lifted 
him  up.  Chal. '  Whose  heart  was  spon- 
taneous.' Every  one  whose  heart  was 
raised  to  a  free  and  cheerful  promp- 
titude ;  and  such  undoubtedly  was  the 
case  with  the  congregation  en  masse. 
We  do  not  consider  the  language  as  in- 
tended to  bear  invidiously  upon  some 
by  implying  that  they  were  not  thus 
liberal ;  that  they  either  did  not  offer 
at  all  or  at  best  but  grudgingly.  It  is 
rather  an  intimation  of  the  general 
spirit  which  actuated  the  whole  body 
of  the  people.     Possibly  individual  ex- 


23  And  u  every  man  with  whom 
was  found  blue,  and  purple,  and 
scarlet,  and  fine  linen,  and  goats' 
hair,  and  red  skins  of  rams,  and 
badgers'  skins,  brought  the?n. 


u  1  Chron.  29.  8. 


ceptions  might  have  been  found,  but 
they  are  not  regarded  in  the  compre- 
hensive estimate  of  the  Spirit. 

22.  And  they  came,  both  men  and 
women.  Heb.  Q'^ITDn  )i^  "D^Vj^i/i^l  ha- 
anashim  al  hannashim,  the  men  upon, 
over  and  above,  in  addition  to,  the  wo- 
men ;  a  peculiar  phraseology,  which 
implies,  according  to  the  Jewish  critic 
Abrabanel,  that  the  women  came  first 
and  presented  their  offerings,  and  were 
then  followed  by  the  men.  This  sense 
is  approved  by  Cartwright,  one  of  the 
soundest  commentators  who  has  ever 
undertaken  to  illustrate  the  Scriptures 
from  Rabbinical  sources.  Nor  has  the 
prompt  and  forward  obedience  of  wo- 
man ever  belied  this  character  in  any 

age  of  the  world. IT   And  brought 

bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  &c.  Their  of- 
ferings were  various  according  to  their 
various  possessions.  They  show  them- 
selves, if  any  thing,  more  forward  to 
give  to  the  service  of  God  than  they 
had  before  been  to  contribute  to  the 
fabrication  of  the  golden  calf.  There 
we  read  of  ear-rings  only  having  been 
offered,  but  here  of  all  kinds  of  precious 
articles,  as  if  nothing  was  too  good  or 
too  rich  to  be  parted  with  for  the  honor 
of  God.  Indeed  it  would  seem  from  the 
final  clause  of  v.  22,  that  the  spirit  of 
the  offerers  was  so  acceptable  in  the 
sight  of  God  that  he  regarded  every  of- 
fering,  whatever  it  was,  as  an  offering 
of  gold.  Even  the  goats'  hair  and 
rams'  skins  acquired  so  high  a  value  in 
his  esteem  from  the  motives  which 
prompted  the  givers,  that  they  were 
accounted  as  oblations  of  pure  gold  ! 

ir    Tablets.     Heb.   t?Ql3    kumaz. 

This  is  a  very  doubtful  word,  occurring 


270 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


24  Every  one  that  did  offer  an  of- 
fering of  silver  and  brass  brought 
the  Lord's  offering:  and  every  man 
with  whom  was  found  shittim- 
wood  for  any  work  of  the  service, 
brought  it. 

25  And  all  the  women  that  were 
w  Avise-hearted  did  spin  with  their 
hands,  and  brought  that  which 
they  had  spun,  both  of  blue,  and 
of  purple,  and  of  scarlet,  and  of 
fine  linen. 

26  And  all  the  women  whose 
heart  stirred  them  up  in  wisdom 
spun  goats'  hair. 

w  ch.  28.  3.  &  31.  6.  &  36.  1.  2  Kings  23. 
7.    Prov.31.  19,  22,  24. 

only  here  and  in  Num.  31.  50.  Geddes, 
Boothroyd,  and  others  render  it  by 
'  locketSj'  answering  to  ihe  Roman 
'  bulla,'  or  the  '  baccatum  monile'  of 
Virgil,  which  was  a  necklace  formed 
of  gems  or  precious  stones,  resembling 
berries.  Such  trinkets  are  still  worn  by 
the  Arabians.  Bochart  supposes  it  was  a 
kind  of  supporting  girdle  worn  by  the  wo- 
men round  the  bosom.  The  Editor  of  the 
Pictorial  Bible,  on  the  other  hand,  sup- 
poses it  to  have  been  an  ornamented 
hoop  or  hand  surrounding  the  head. 
His  plates  represent  such  an  ornament 
among  the  articles  of  Egyptian  cos- 
tume. They  were  at  auy  rate  prob- 
ably a  part  of  the  spoils  obtained  from 

the  Egyptians. IT    Every  man  that 

offered.  Heb.  fj'^^n  h'iniph,  that  waved; 
from  the  circumstance  of  their  obla- 
tions being  heaved  up  and  waved  when 
offered  to  the  Lord  ;  consequently  call- 
ed, Ex.  38.24,  '  a  wave-offering.' 

25.  And  all  the  women  that  were  wise- 
hearted,  &c.  The  sense  in  which  'wis- 
dom' is  predicated  of  all  these  various 
arts  and  handicrafts  has  been  already 
explained  above  on  v.  10.  Here  it  ap- 
pears that  the  women  were  as  forward 
in  the  good  work  as  the  men.  Thej' 
were  not  only  willing  to  give,  but  to 
make.     They  not    only  resigned    their 


27  And  X  the  rulers  brought  onyx- 
stones,  and  stones  to  be  set,  for  the 
ephod,  and  for  the  breast-plate  ; 

28  And  y  spice,  and  oil  for  the 
light,  and  for  the  anointing  oil, 
and  for  the  sweet  incense. 

29  The  children  of  Israel  brought 
a  2  willing  offering  unto  the  Lold, 
every  man  and  woman,  whose 
heart  made  them  willing  to  bring, 
for  all  manner  of  work  which  the 
Lord  had  commanded  to  be  made 
by  the  hand  of  Moses. 

30  ^  And  Moses  said  unto  the 
children  of  Israel,  See,  a  the  Lord 

X  1  Chron.29.  6.  Ezra  2.  68.  ych.30.  23. 
2  ver  21.    1  Chron.  29.  9.     a  ch.  31.  2,  &c. 


ornaments,  but  went  immediately  to 
work  by  spinning  and  weaving  to  fabri- 
cate such  articles  of  tapestry  as  were 
needed  for  the  tabernacle.  As  all  are 
interested  in  the  worship  of  God,  so  all 
should  bear  a  part  in  it.  The  well- 
being  and  happiness  of  woman  is  in  a 
special  manner  vitally  involved  in  the 
existence  and  inaintenance  of  religious 
institutions,  and  why  should  she  not  be 
active  in  promoting  them?  So  in  the 
early  history  of  the  church,  the  Chris- 
tian tabernacle,  there  were  '  women 
which  labored  in  the  gospel,'  Phil.  4.  3, 
and  of  whom  Paul  again  says,  Rom.  16. 
12,  that  they  '  labored  in  the  Lord.' 

29.  The  children  of  Israel  brought  a 
willing  offering,  every  man  and  wo- 
man, &c.  Heb.  ni"l3  nedabah,  a  free- 
tuill  gift.  The  same  word  is  rendered 
in  v.  3,  of  the  ensuing  chapter,  *  free- 
offering.'  No  other  impulse  was  needed 
than  the  generous  promptings  of  their 
own  bosoms  to  draw  from  them  the 
most  liberal  donations  to  the  good  work 
in  hand.  Even  the  maidens,  who  are 
not  prone  to  forget  their  ornaments, 
now  readily  divested  themselves  of 
their  bracelets,  pendants,  and  jewels 
to  swell  the  amount  of  the  general 
contribution,  as  if  more  anxious  for  the 
beautifying  of  tlie  sanctuary  than  the 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


271 


hath  called  by  name  Bezaleel,  the 
son  of  Uri,  the  son  of  Hur,  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah ; 

31  And  he  hath  filled  him  with 
the  spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  in 
understanding,  and  in  knowledge, 
and  in  all  manner  of  workman- 
ship; 

32  And  to  devise  curious  works, 
to  work  in  gold,  and  in  silver,  and 
in  brass, 

33  And  in  the  cutting  of  stones, 
to  set  them,  and  m  carving  of 
wood,  to  make  any  manner  of  cun- 
ning work. 

34  And  he  hath  put  in  his  heart 
that  he  may  teach,  both  he,  and 
^Aholiab,  the  son  of  Ahisamach, 
of  the  tribe  of  Dan. 

bch.  31.6. 

decoration  of  their  owri  persons.  One 
spirit  seems  to  have  pervaded  the  whole 
people.  Whatever  any  one  possessed 
that  could  be  applied  to  the  projected 
structure,  he  instantly  wrote  upon  it 
^  Corban,'  and  dedicated  it  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God.  Each  doubtless  thought 
himself  rich,  not  in  proportion  to  what 
he  retained  for  his  own  use,  but  to  the 
supplies  he  Avas  able  to  contribute.  In 
this  way  the  genuine  influence  of  the 
gospel  always  operates.  Its  converts 
in  every  age  are  represented  as  coming 
unto  God,  '  their  gold  and  their  silver 
with  them.'  However  dear  may  have 
been  their  earthly  treasures  to  their 
hearts,  yet  the  love  of  Christ  will  re- 
lax their  tenacious  grasp  upon  them, 
and  they  will  be  willing,  at  the  call  of 
duty,  to  part  with  that  which  they  most 
value,  and  deem  it  a  privilege  to  give 
up  their  all  to  him  who  has  bought  them 
with  his  blood.  How  little  is  to  be  lost 
by  a  liberal  policy  and  how  heartily  we 
are  to  adopt  it,  is  clearly  taught  in  the 
words  of  Paul,  2  Cor.  9.  6,  7,  'But  this 
I  say,  he  which  soweth  sparingly,  shall 
reap  also  sparingly  ;  and  he  which  sow- 
eth bountifully,  shall  reap  also  boun- 


35  Them  hath  he  « filled  with 
wisdom  of  heart,  to  work  all  man- 
ner of  work,  of  the  engraver,  and 
of  the  cunning  workman,  and  of 
the  embroiderer,  in  blue,  and  in 
purple,  in  scarlet,  and  in  fine  linen, 
and  of  the  weaver,  even  of  them 
that  do  any  work,  and  of  those  that 
devise  cunning  work. 

CHAPTER  XXXVL 

THEN  wrought  Bezaleel  and 
Aholiab,  and  every  a  wise- 
hearted  man,  in  whom  the  Lord 
put  wisdom  and  understanding  to 
know  how  to  work  all  manner  of 
work  for  the  service  of  the  ^  sanc- 
tuary, according  to  all  that  the 
Lord  had  commanded. 

ever.  31.     ch.  31.3,  6.    1  Kings  7.  14.    2 
Chron.  2.  14.    Isai.  28.  26.     ach.  28.  3.  &  31. 

6.  &  35.  10,  35.     bch.  25.  8. 

tifully.  Every  man  according  as  he 
purposeth  in  his  heart,  so  let  him  give  ; 
not  grudgingly,  or  of  necessity :  for  God 
loveth  a  cheerful  giver.'  O  what  might 
not  be  done  for  the  honor  of  God  and 
the  welfare  of  man,  if  this  noble  spirit 
every  where  prevailed,  and  men  gave 
to  the  utmost  of  their  ability !  How 
easy  would  it  be  to  erect  places  of  wor- 
ship, to  maintain  a  settled  ministry,  to 
supply  the  wants  of  the  poor,  to  send 
the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  to  administer 
instruction  to  the  ignorant,  consolation 
to  the  troubled,  relief  to  the  distressed  ! 
Well  may  it  shame  the  world  and  the 
church  that  a  concern  for  trifles  crowds 
out  these  great  objects  from  their  minds  ; 
that  their  own  petty  interests  take  pre- 
cedence of  the  infinite  and  eternal  in- 
terests of  God  and  his  kingdom ! 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
1.  Then  wrought  Bezaleel  and  AhO' 
Hob,  and  every  wise-hearted  man,  &c. 
Heb.  i'^  tD^n  hakcm  Itb,  wise  of  heart. 
Wherever  this  epithet  occurs  the  reader 
is  to  consider  it  as  an  Hebraism,  even 
though  it  should  be  met  with  in  the 
New  Testament,  as  1  Cor    3.  10,  'Ac- 


272 


X.AODUS. 


lH.  C.  1491. 


2  And  Moses  called  Bezaleel  and 
Aholiab,  and  every  wise-hearted 
man,  in  whose  heart  the  Lord  had 
put  wisdom,  even  every  one  c  whose 
heart  stirred  him  up  to  come  unto 
the  work  to  do  it : 

3  And  they  received  of  Moses  all 
the  offering  which  the  children  of 
Israel  d  had  brought  for  the  work 
of  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  to 
make  it  ivithal.  And  they  brought 
yet  unto  him  free-offerings  every 
morning. 

4  And  all  the  wise  men,  that 
wrought  all  the  work  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, came  every  man  from  his 
work  which  they  made ; 

c  ch.  35.  2,  26. 1  Chron.  29.  5.    d  ch.  35.  27. 

cording  to  the  grace  of  God  which  is 
given  unto  me  as  a  wise  master-builder, 
I  have  laid  the  foundation.'  Strictly 
speaking,  a  man  may  be  replete  with 
wisdom,  and  yet  be  a  poor  artificer  ; 
and  here  perhaps  a  better  version  would 
have  been  '  ingenious,'  'skilful.'  or  some 
such  term ;  or  '  wise-hearted'  may  be 
exchanged  for  'wise-minded,'  as  'heart,' 
in  the  modern  acceptation,  is  the  seat 
neither  of  wisdom,  nor  skill,  nor  in- 
genuity;  but  of  love,  hatred,  pride, 
revenge,  and  other  similar  passions  ; 
whereas  in  the  mind  lodges  not  only 
wisdom,  properly  so  called,  but  pru- 
dence, foresight,  genius,  contrivance, 
invention,  and  other  kindred  faculties. 
Our  previous  explanations,  however,  on 
the  scriptural  sense  of  this  epithet  have 
been  too  full  to  leave  the  reader  under 
any  mistake  as  to  its  meaning. 

2.  And  Moses  called,  &c.  Rather, 
'  For  Moses  had  called,'  according  to 
very  common  usage. 

3.  And  they  received  of  Moses  all  the 
<^ffering,  &c.  Heb.  H^Tinn  ^^-  kol 
hattcrumah,  all  the  heaving,  or  heave- 

cffering. IT   And  they  brought  yet 

unto  him  free-offerings  every  morning. 
Heb.  "IpD  ^p;i  boker  boker,  morning, 
morning.    They  kept  it  up  from  day  to 


5  H  And  they  spake  unto  Moses, 
saying,  ^The  people  bring  much 
more  than  enough  for  the  service 
of  the  work  which  the  Lord  com- 
manded to  make. 

6  And    Moses    gave    command 
ment,  and  they  caused  it  to  be  pro 
claimed  throughout  the  camp,  say 
ing,  Let  neither  man  nor  woman 
make  any  more  work  for  the  offer- 
ing of  the  sanctuary.     So  the  peo- 
ple were  restrained  from  bringing. 

7  For  the  stuff  they  had  was 
sufficient  for  all  the  work  to  make 
it,  and  too  much. 

c  2  Cor.  8.  2,  3. 


day,  and  how  long  they  would  have 
gone  on,  if  not  restrained,  no  one  can 
tell.  But  we  are  not  left  merely  to  ad- 
mire their  conduct.  'We  should  always 
make  it  our  morning's  work  to  bring 
our  offering  unto  the  Lord,  even  the 
spiritual  offerings  of  prayer  and  praise^ 
and  a  broken  heart  surrendered  entirely 
to  God.  This  is  that  which  the  duty 
of  every  day  requires.  God's  compas- 
sions are  new  every  morning,  and  so 
should  our  offerings  be,  our  free  offer- 
ings: God's  grace  to  us  is  free,  and  so 
should  our  duty  to  him  be.'     Henry. 

4 — 7.  And  all  the  wise  men — came 
every  man  from  his  work,  &c.  The 
'wise  men'  here  mentioned  were  evident- 
ly the  artificers  or  artisans  who  took 
charge  of  the  different  departments  ot 
the  work.  Although  their  several  tasks 
were  not  yet  completed,  yet  from  the 
best  judgment  they  could  form  of  the 
amount  of  materials  requisite,  they  did 
not  hesitate  to  assure  Moses  that  the 
supply  exceeded  the  demand.  This  re- 
port  was  alike  creditable  to  the  artists 
and  to  the  people.  It  showed  con- 
clusively the  exemplary  honesty  of  the 
former.  Had  they  been  governed  by 
any  thing  but  the  strictest  principles 
of  integrity,  they  would  scarcely  have 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


8  H  f  And  ever}'^  wise-hearted  man 
among  them  that  wrought  the 
work  of  the  tabernacle  made  ten 


f  ch.  2G.  1. 


failed  to  seize  the  opportunity  of  en- 
riching themselves  by  appropriating  the 
overplus  of  the  offerings  to  their  own 
use  as  perquisites  of  their  place.  When 
we  consider  that  it  was  impossible 
to  determine  beforehand  precisely  how 
large  an  amount  of  materials  would  be 
necessary  for  any  particular  province 
of  the  work,  and  how  desirous  most 
men  are  of  having  the  handling  and  the 
discretionary  control  of  precious  things, 
though  they  may  not  actually  use  them, 
it  was  certainly  a  rare  example  of  dis- 
interestedness and  probity  that  was  now 
exhibited.  With  every  thing  to  favor 
peculation,  they  scorn  to  entertain  the 
thought  for  a  moment  of  turning  the 
public  liberality  to  their  private  ad- 
vantage. On  the  contrary,  they  deter- 
mine to  cut  themselves  off  from  a  lia- 
bility to  temptation  by  declining  to  re- 
ceive any  more  than  they  were  confi- 
dent of  having  occasion  for.  Accord- 
ingly upon  their  statement  to  Moses  he 
immediately  issued  his  command  in  a 
proclamation  that  the  contributions 
should  cease.  Here  again  it  is  im- 
possible to  conceive  a  more  emphatic 
testimony  than  this  to  the  profuse  gen- 
erosity of  the  people.  '  Let  neither 
man  nor  woman  make  any  more  work 
for  the  offering  of  the  sanctuary  !'  IMo- 
ses  might  well  adopt  the  language  of 
Paul  respecting  the  churches  of  Mace- 
donia;  'Their  deep  poverty  abounded 
unto  the  riches  of  their  liberality.  For 
to  their  power,  I  bear  record,  yea,  and 
beyond  their  power,  they  were  willing 
of  themselves ;  praying  us  with  much 
entreaty  that  v.^e  would  receive  the 
gift.'  It  would  almost  seem  that  they 
had  heard  '  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
how  he  said,  It  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive.'  Alas,  are  we  not  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  that  this  con- 


curtains  of  fine  twined  lirten,  and 
blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet:  with 
cherubims  of  cunning  work  made 
he  them. 

duct  stands  in  mortifying  contrast  with 
that  of  the  great  mass  of  the  Christian 
world  !  Instead  of  giving  '  too  much,' 
where  do  they  ever  give  enough  ?  And 
where  do  we  now  find  men  acting  so 
fully  on  the  voluntary  principle  ?  How 
small  a  proportion  of  the  benevolent 
offerings  of  Christians  are  brought  to 
the  Lord's  treasury?  Instead  of  this 
they  must  be  sent  for.  Numerous,  ex- 
pensive, and  laborious  agencies  must 
be  employed,  which  of  themselves  ab- 
sorb a  considerable  portion  of  the  funds 
raised.  Collectors  must  go  from  house 
to  house,  and  even  then  are  often  es- 
teemed unwelcome  visitors ;  nay,  so 
prone  is  the  worldly  heart  to  evasion, 
that  many  will  consider  it  a  good  ex- 
cuse for  not  giving  to  a  well-known 
object  of  benevolence,  if  they  can  say, 
they  have  not  been  called  on  !  Ah,  how 
different  from  the  full-souled  and  spon- 
taneous promptings  of  the  Israelitish 
donors  on  this  occasion  !  They  needed 
simply  to  have  a  want  stated,  and  then 
without  waiting  for  duty  to  be  incul- 
cated, appeals  urged,  a  precise  amount 
prescribed,  or  a  messenger  sent,  they 
become  the  carriers  of  their  own  gifts 
and  pour  them  in  without  stint  till 
checked  by  a  public  proclamation  ! 
God  be  praised,  however,  that  this 
spirit  is  not  entirely  lacking  in  the 
church  at  this  day.  Some  there  are 
who  only  require  the  slightest  signal 
of  the  Lord's  finger,  not  to  be  behind 
the  most  forward  Israelite  in  contribut- 
ing to  the  up-building  of  his  kingdom 
on  the  earth.  Their  record  is  on  high. 
■IT  Make  any  more  work.     Tliat  is 


collect,  accumulate,  make  ready  any 
more  materials  to  work  with.    See  this 
sense  of  the  word  '  make'  illustrated  in 
the  Note  on  Gen.  12.  5. 
8  —  38.    Made  ten  curtains  of  fint 


274 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491, 


9  The  length  of  one  curtain  ivas 
twenty  and  eight  cubits,  and  the 
breadth  of  one  curtain  four  cubits; 
the  curtains  ivere  ail  of  one  size. 

10  And  he  coupled  the  five  cur- 
tains one  unto  another:  and  the 
other  five  curtains  he  coupled  one 
unto  another. 

11  And  he  made  loops  of  blue  on 
the  edge  of  one  curtain  from  the 
selvedge  in  the  coupling:  likewise 
he  made  in  the  uttermost  side  of 
another  curtain,  in  the  coupling  of 
the  second. 

12  g  Fifty  loops  made  he  in  one 
curtain,  and  fifty  loops  made  he  in 
the  edge  of  the  curtain  which  icas 
in  the  coupling  of  the  second:  the 
loops  held  one  curtain  to  another. 

13  And  he  made  fifty  taches  of 
gold,  and  coupled  the  curtains  one 
unto  another  with  the  taches.  So 
it  became  one  tabernacle. 

14  %  h  And  he  made  curtains  of 
goats'  hair  for  the  tent  over  the 
tabernacle:  eleven  curtains  he 
made  them. 

15  The  length  of  one  curtain  16^05 
thirty  cubits,  and  four  cubits  ims 
the  breadth  of  one  curtain:  the 
eleven  curtains  were  of  one  size. 

16  And  he  coupled  five  curtains 
by  themselves,  and  six  curtains  by 
themselves. 

17  And  he  made  fifty  loops  upon 

gch.  26.  5.    hch.26.  7. 

twined  linen,  &c.  We  find  scarcely 
any  thing  in  the  sequel  of  this  chapter 
but  what  has  been  mentioned  and  fully 
commented  on  in  preceding  Notes.  Both 
this  and  the  remaining  chapters  of  the 
book  are  little  more  than  a  bare  re- 
petition of  the  contents  of  the  previous 
chapters  from  ch.  25th  to  31st  inclusive. 
We  shall  find  nothing  to  surprise  or 
weary  us  in  this  extended  recital  of 
minute  circumstances,  if  we  bear  in 
mind,  that  it  is  doubtless  intended  as  a 
tacit  intimation  to  us  of  the  duty  of  ful- 


the  utteuiina  edge  of  the  curtain 
in  the  coupling,  and  fifty  loops 
made  he  upon  the  edge  of  the  cur- 
tain which  coupled  the  second. 

18  And  he  made  fifty  taches  of 
brass  to  couple  the  tent  together, 
that  it  might  be  one. 

19  i  And  he  made  a  covering  for 
the  tent  of  rams'  skins  dyed  red, 
and  a  covering  of  badgers'  skins 
above  that. 

20  ^kAnd  he  made  boards  for 
the  tabernacle  of  shit tim- wood, 
standing  up. 

21  The  length  of  a  board  icas  ten 
cubits,  and  the  breadth  of  a  board 
one  cubit  and  a  half. 

22  One  board  had  two  tenons, 
equally  distant  one  from  another: 
thus  did  he  make  for  all  the  boards 
of  the  tabernacle. 

23  And  he  made  boards  for  the 
tabernacle ;  twenty  boards  for  the 
south  side  southward : 

24  And  forty  sockets  of  silver  he 
made  under  the  twenty  boards; 
tAVo  sockets  under  one  board  for 
his  two  tenons,  and  two  sockets 
under  another  board  for  his  two 
tenons. 

25  And  for  the  other  side  of  the 
tabernacle  which  is  toAvard  the 
north  corner,  he  made  twenty 
boards, 

26  And    their    forty    sockets   of 

ich.  26.  14.    kch.  26.  15. 

filling  to  the  letter,  and  with  the  most 
scrupulous  exactness,  every  jot  and  tittle 
of  the  word  of  God.  Of  this  the  nar- 
rative before  us  affords  so  striking  an 
instance,  that  it  may  well  stand  as  a 
grand  and  paramoimt  illustration  of  a 
general  principle.  Indeed  it  may  be 
said,  that  the  whole  mass  of  Scripture 
consists  chiefly  of  two  corresponding 
parts,  viz.,  precept  and  example;  on  the 
one  hand  the  directions  as  to  w^hat  we 
are  to  do  to  fulfil  the  divine  will,  and 
on  the  other,  the  example  of  those  who 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


275 


silver;  two  sockets  under  one 
board,  and  two  sockets  under  an- 
other board. 

27  And  for  the  sides  of  the  tab- 
ernacle westward  he  made  six 
boards. 

28  And  two  boards  made  he  for 
the  corners  of  the  tabernacle  in  the 
two  sides. 

29  And  they  were  coupled  be- 
neath, and  coupled  together  at  the 
head  thereof,  to  one  ring :  thus  he 
did  to  both  of  them  in  both  the 
corners. 

30  And  there  were  eight  boards ; 
and  their  sockets  if  e?-e  sixteen  sock- 
ets of  silver,  under  every  board  two 
sockets. 

31  ^  And  he  made  ibars  o/shit- 
tim-wood;  five  for  the  boards  of 
the  one  side  of  the  tabernacle, 

32  And  five  bars  for  the  boards 
of  the  other  side  of  the  tabernacle, 
and  five  bars  for  the  boards  of  the 
tabernacle  for  the  sides  westward. 

33  And  he  made  the  middle  bar 
to  shoot  through  the  boards  from 
the  one  end  to  the  other. 

34  And    he  overlaid  the  boards 

1  ch.  26.  26. 

have  actually  fulfilled  it.  The  com- 
parison of  the  two  cannot  but  be  ad- 
monitory to  us,  that  in  all  things  we 
are  to  work  for  God  according  to  the 
pattern  shown  to  us.  In  all  our  con- 
duct, whether  it  be  in  the  world's  estim- 
ation a  great  matter  or  a  small,  it  is 
of  the  first  importance  that  there  be 
neither  a  nail  nor  a  pin,  a  loop  nor  a 
hook,  otherwise  than  God  has  com- 
manded. To  do  his  will  makes  every 
matter  great.  Nothing  can  be  a  trifle 
that  promotes  his  glory.  '  Blessed  is 
that  servant  whom  his  Lord  when  he 
Cometh  shall  find  so  doing'  as  he  hath 
ordered. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
There  is  little  in  the  present  chapter 


with  gold,  and  made  their  rings  of 
gold  to  be  places  for  the  bars,  and 
overlaid  with  bars  of  gold. 

35  ^  And  he  made  ^a  vail  of 
blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and 
fine  twined  linen :  ivilk  cherubirrvs 
made  he  it  of  cunning  work. 

36  And  he  made  thereunto  four 
pillars  of  shiUim-wood,  and  over- 
laid them  with  gold:  their  hooks 
were  of  gold ;  and  he  cast  for  them 
four  sockets  of  silver. 

37  H  And  he  made  a  ^  hanging 
for  the  tabernacle-door  o/blue,  and 
purple,  and  scarlet,  and  fine  twined 
linen,  of  needle-work ; 

38  And  the  five  pillars  of  it,  with 
their  hooks :  and  he  overlaid  their 
chapiters  and  their  fillets  with 
gold :  but  their  five  sockets  were 
of  brass. 

CHATER  XXXVII. 
ND  Bezaleel  made  a  the  ark 
of  shittim-wood:  two  cubits 
and  a  half  ivas  the  length  of  it,  and 
a  cubit  and  a  half  the  breadth  of 
it,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the  height 
of  it: 

m  ch.  26.  31.     n  ch.  26.  36.    a  ch.  25.  10. 


that  requires  additional  exposition.  We 
have  already  considered  its  various 
items  in  minute  detail  in  our  remarks 
upon  the  previous  chapters.  The  execu- 
tion of  each  particular  part,  in  exact 
conformity  with  the  directions  given,  is 
punctiliously  recited,  not  only  for  the 
general  reason  mentioned  above,  but 
also  to  intimate  with  what  serious  and 
profound  consideration  the  form,  fur- 
niture, uses,  and  typical  design  of  this 
remarkable  structure  deserved  to  be 
studied.  We  can  scarcely  suppose  that 
so  much  space  would  have  been  allotted 
to  it,  had  it  not  been  intended  to  shadow 
forth  some  of  the  central  mysteries  of 
redemption.  What  these  were  we  have 
endeavored  partially  to  unfold  in  our 
previous  annotations.     How  far  they 


276 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


2  And  he  overlaid  it  v/ith  pure 
gold  within  and  without,  and  made 
a  crown  of  gold  to  it  round  about. 

3  And  he  cast  for  it  four  rings  of 
gold,  to  be  set  by  the  four  corners 

were  or  could  he  understood  by  Moses 
and  his  cotemporaries,  it  is  not  easy  to 
determine ;  bnt  as  the  finer  ornaments 
of  the  tabernacle  were  not  to  be  seen 
by  the  common  people,  but  only  by  the 
priests,  and  as  the  Scriptures  were  in- 
tended for  the  people  at  large,  we  can 
see  a  peculiar  propriety  in  the  verbal 
description  being  given  at  great  length. 
In  the  same  manner,  many  of  the  events 
in  the  life  of  Christ  are  in  the  New 
Testament  related  by  two,  and  three, 
and  some  by  four  of  the  Evangelists, 
for  the  same  reason. 

For  the  ensuing  extended  note  on  a 
point  of  antiquarian  interest,  we  have 
drawn  upon  the  treasures  of  the  Pic- 
torial Bible. 

2.  He  overlaid  it  with  pure  gold. 
Heb.  riiD^  tzippah.  'The  question  here 
arises  whether  here  and  elsewhere  gild- 
ing, or  actual  overlaying  with  plates  of 
metal,  is  intended.  It  is  observable 
that  the  word  '  gilding'  never  occurs  in 
our  translation,  but  '  overlaying'  often ; 
and  yet  there  is  no  reason  to  question 
that  the  Hebrews  were  at  some  time  or 
other  acquainted  with  gilding,  and  it  is 
therefore  difficult  to  conclude  that  in  all 
cases  where  the  word  (1512  tzaphah  oc- 
curs it  means  only  overlaid  with  plates 
of  metal ;  and  this  may  be  the  rather 
questioned,  since  the  Septuagint  renders 
it  by  KaraxftxyoM,  to  gild,  and  is  fol- 
lowed in  this  by  the  Vulgate.  Modern 
translators  have,  however,  generally 
adopted  the  ambiguous  expression,  '  to 
overlay ;'  yet  one  of  them,  Michaelis, 
uses  the  term  *  to  gild'  in  application  to 
the  boards  of  the  tabernacle.  When 
Beckmann  was  writing  his  article  on 
gilding,  he  applied  to  Professor  Tjf^ch- 
sen  to  furnish  him  with  some  informa- 
tion as  to  the  Scriptural  notices  on  the 


of  it :  even  two  rings  upon  the  one 
side  of  it,  and  two  rings  upon  the 
other  side  ofit. 
4  And  he  made  staves  oj  shitiim- 
wood,  and  overlaid  them  with  gold. 


subject.  The  prol'essor,  in  his  reply, 
states  the  instances  in  which  gilding  or 
overlaying,  are  mentioned.  They  are^ 
in  the  works  of  the  tabernacle : — the 
ark,  which  was  covered  with  gold  within 
and  without,  and  also  the  staves  which 
belonged  to  it — the  table  of  shew-bread^ 
with  its  staves — the  altar  of  burnt  in- 
cense— the  boards  which  formed  the 
sides  and  the  west  end  of  the  taberna- 
cle ;  these  were  forty-eight  in  number, 
each  liaving  a  surface  of  about  forty- 
three  feet  and  a  half:  besides  which^ 
there  were  the  five  bars  on  each  side, 
which  bound  the  whole  together,  and 
the  pillars  at  the  east  end,  which  were 
also  overlaid  with  gold.  Then  in  Solo- 
mon's temple,  the  parts  overlaid  with 
gold  were : — the  whole  inside  of  the 
house  (1  Kings,  6.  21,  22)  :  the  altar  of 
incense  (ver.20 — 22):  the  wooden  cher- 
ubim, above  seventeen  feet  in  height 
(ver.  28):  the  floor  (ver.  30):  the  doors 
of  the  oracle,  on  which  were  carved 
cherubim,  palm-trees,  and  open  flowers, 
so  that  the  covering  gold  accurately  ex- 
hibited the  figures  of  the  carved  work 
(ver.  32 — 35).  'Now,'  proceeds  the 
professor,  '  the  question  is,  whether  all 
these  were  gilt,  or  covered,  or  overlaid 
with  plates  of  gold.  I  am  acquainted 
with  no  work  in  which  this  subject  is 
professedly  discussed,  and  therefore  I 
submit  the  following  remarks  to  your 
consideration:  The  expression  continu- 
ally used  for  overlaying  is  T\t}'2  tzaphah, 
the  original  meaning  of  which  in  the 
Arabic,  |j^&^  tzapha,  clear,  to  he  bright, 
seems  still  to  remain.  The  significa- 
tion therefore  is,  to  make  clear,  to  render 
bright;  but,  as  is  commonly  the  case, 
nothing  decisive  can  be  obtained  from 
this  etymology,  for  it  is  equally  appli- 
cable to  gilding  as  to  overlaying  with 


8.  C.  1491. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


277 


5  And  he  put  the  staves  into  the 
rings  by  the  sides  of  the  ark,  to  bear 
the  ark. 

6  M  And  he  made  the  ^  mercy- 
seat  o/pure  gold  :  two  cubits  and 
a  hah' teas  the  length  thereof,  and 
one  cubit  and  a  half  the  breadth 
thereof. 

7  And  he  made  two  cherubims 
of  gold,  beaten  out  of  one  piece 
made  he  them,  on  the  tAVo  ends  of 
the  mercy-seat ; 

8  One  cherub  on  the  end  on  this 
side,  and  another  cherub  on  the 
other  end  on  that  side:  out  of  the 
mercy-seat  made  he  the  cherubims 
on  the  two  ends  thereof. 

9  And  the  cherubims  spread  out 
their  wings  on  high,  a7id  covered 
with  their  wings  over  the  mercy- 
seat,  with  their  faces  one  to  an- 
other ;  eve7i  to  the  mercy-seal- ward 
were  the  faces  of  the  cherubims. 

10  H  And  he  made  c  the  table  of 
shittim  wood:  two  cubits  ivas  the 
length  thereof,  and  a  cubit  the 
breadth  thereof,  and  a  cubit  and  a 
half  the  height  thereof: 

bch.  25.  17.     Cell.  25.  23. 

gold.'  In  some  following  observations 
the  professor  omits  to  avail  himself  of 
the  important  corroboration  of  his  own 
view  (that  the  word  translated  '  to  over- 
lay' means  only  'to  render  bright'), 
which  is  afforded  by  the  fact,  that  when 
overlaying  is  undoubtedly  intended,  as 
in  overlaying  the  altar  of  burnt-offering 
with  plates  of  copper,  quite  another 
word  is  used,  Ti'rnD  nehosheth,  than 
that  which  refers  to  the  covering  of  the 
wood-work  with  gold.  Upon  the  whole, 
Tychsen  concludes,  from  a  comparison 
of  the  different  passages,  that  gilding 
is  sometimes  intended  rather  than  over- 
laying with  plates  of  metal.  He  con- 
siders that  the  drying  of  the  wood,  and 
the  softness  of  gold,  which,  in  regard 
to  staves,  floors,  &c.,  would  soon  be 
rubbed  off,  occasions  some  difliculty  in 
Vol.  II.  24 


11  And  he  overlaid  it  with  pure 
gold,  and  made  thereunto  a  crown 
of  gold  round  about. 

12  Also  he  made  thereunto  a 
border  of  an  hand-breadth  round 
about ;  and  made  a  crown  of  gold 
for  the  border  thereof  round  about. 

13  And  he  cast  for  it  four  rings  of 
gold,  and  put  the  rings  upon  the 
four  corners  that  ivere  in  the  four 
feet  thereof. 

14  Over  against  the  border  were 
the  rings,  the  places  for  the  staves 
to  bear  the  table. 

15  And  he  made  the  staves  of 
shittim-wood,  and  overlaid  them 
with  gold,  to  bear  the  table. 

16  And  he  made  the  vessels 
which  loere  upon  the  table,  his 
<!  dishes,  and  his  spoons,  and  his 
bowls,  and  his  covers  to  cover 
withal,  o/pure  gold. 

17  ^  And  he  made  the  e  candle- 
stick of  pure  gold ;  of  beaten  work 
made  he  the  candlestick ;  his 
shaft,  and  his  branch,  his  bowls, 
his  knops,  and  his  flowers  were  of 
the  same  : 

<ich.  25.  29.    ech,  25.  31. 

the  notion  that  plates  of  metal  were 
employed ;  but  even  admitting  that 
such  plates  could  be  made  sufficiently 
fast  to  smooth  surfaces  of  wood,  he 
doubts  whether  any  plates,  however 
thin,  could  be  so  applied  as  to  fit  and 
exhibit  accurately  carved  wooden  fig- 
ures and  flower-work,  as  in  1  Kings,  6. 
35.  And,  with  regard  to  the  parts  of 
the  tabernacle,  had  they  been  covered 
with  plates  of  gold,  would  they  not 
have  been  too  heavy  for  transportation, 
particularly  as  several  of  them  were 
to  be  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  men? 
He  also  stales  his  impression,  that  the 
twenty-nine  talents  and  odd  shekels  ot 
gold,  could  scarcely  have  been  sufficient 
to  cover  with  plates  of  gold  all  the  arti- 
cles above  enumerated  after  so  many 
vessels  and  other  things  had  been  made 


278 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


18  And  six  branches  going  out  of 
the  sides  thereof;  three  branches 
of  the  candlestick  out  of  the  one 
side  thereof,  and  three  branches  of 
the  candlestick  out  of  the  other 
side  thereof: 

19  Three  bowls  made  after  the 
fashion  of  almonds  in  one  branch, 
a  knop  and  a  flower ;  and  three 
bowls  made  like  almonds  in  an- 
other branch,  a  knop  and  a  flower: 
so  throughout  the  six  branches  go- 
ing out  of  the  candlestick. 

20  And  in  the  candlestick  ivere 
four  bowls  made  like  almonds,  his 
knops  and  his  flowers  : 

21  And  a  knop  under  two  branches 
of  the  same,  and  a  knop  under  two 
branches  of  the  same,  and  a  knop 
under  two  branches  of  the  same, 
according  to  the  six  branches  go- 
ing out  of  it. 

22  Their  knops  and  their  branches 
were  of  the  same:  all  oihtcas  one 
beaten  work  o/pure  gold. 

23  And  he  made  his  seven  lamps, 
and  his  snufl'ers,  and  his  snuff- 
dishes  o/pure  gold. 

with  pure  gold.  Upon  the  whole.  Pro- 
fessor Tychsen  thinks  that  the  Hebrews 
understood  both  the  arts  of  gilding  and 
of  overlaying  with  plates  of  metal,  and 
that  we  must  be  left  to  infer  from  anal- 
ogy and  probability  which  process  of 
the  two  was  employed  in  particular 
cases.  Some  of  these  arguments  seem 
to  us  to  deserve  great  attention,  and  we 
have  little  hesitation  in  allowing  their 
upplicalion  to  the  temple  of  iSolomon  in 
the  instances  to  which  Professor  Tych- 
sen  adverts;  and,  although  with  some- 
what more  hesitation,  we  may  allow 
that  collateral  considerations  give  some 
probability  to  their  application  even  to 
a  structure  so  much  more  ancient  and 
so  different  as  the  tabernacle.  One  of 
these  considerations  is,  that  gilding  did 
not  in  ancient  times  imply  as  much  in- 
feriority to  overlaying  with  plates  as  at 


24  Of  a  talent  of  pure  gold  made 
he  it,  and  all  the  vessels  thereof. 

25  if  fAnd  he  made  the  incense- 
altar  of  shittim-wood:  the  length 
of  it  ivas  a  cubit,  and  the  breadth 
of  it  a  cubit ;  it  teas  four-square ; 
and  two  cubits  xcas  the  height  of 
it;  the  horns  thereof  were  of  the 
same. 

2Q  And  he  overlaid  it  with  pure 
gold,  both  the  top  of  it,  and  the  sides 
thereof  round  about,  and  the  horns 
of  it :  also  he  made  unto  it  a  crown 
of  gold  round  about. 

27  And  he  made  two  rings  of 
gold  for  it  under  the  crown  there- 
of, by  the  two  corners  of  it,  upon 
the  two  sides  thereof,  to  be  places 
for  the  staves  to  bear  it  withal. 

28  And  he  made  the  staves  of 
shittim-wood  and  overlaid  them 
with  gold. 

29  II  And  he  made  g  the  holy 
anointing  oil,  and  the  pure  incense 
of  sweet  spices,  according  to  the 
work  of  the  apothecary. 

fob.  30.  1.     gch.  30.  23,  34. 


present ;  for  the  ancient  gold-beaters 
had  not  the  art  of  reducing  the  gold-leaf 
to  any  thing  like  the  tenuity  which  may 
now  be  produced, and  hence  the  ancient 
gilding  was  thick,  durable,  and  rich. 
Another  is,  that  the  art  of  gilding  was 
of  very  high  antiquity  in  Egypt,  al- 
though it  is  of  course  impossible  to  say 
that  the  art  existed  there  previous  to 
the  exodus  of  the  Israelites.  Herodotus 
mentions  Egyptian  statues  ornamented 
wdlh  gilding ;  and  he  also  mentions 
that  he  saw  in  the  palace  at  Sais  a  cowr 
of  richly  gilded  wood,  which  had  been 
made,  in  times  long  anterior  to  his  own, 
by  Mycerinus  (the  son  of  Cheops,  the 
pyramid-builder)  to  enclose  the  mum- 
my of  his  daughter.  Even  at  this  day 
we  find  traces  of  gilding  on  mummies 
and  mummy-cases,  and  in  some  in- 
stances the  mummies  appear  to  have 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 


^9 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

AND  a  he  made  the  altar  of 
burnt-offering  o/shittim-wood : 
five  cubits  ivas  the  length  thereof, 
and  five  cubits  the  breadth  thereof; 
it  teas  four-square  ;  and  three  cub- 
its the  height  thereof. 

2  And  he  made  the  horns  thereof 
on  the  four  corners  of  it ;  the  horns 
thereof  were  of  the  same:  and  he 
overlaid  it  with  brass. 

3  And  he  made  all  the  vessels  of 
the  altar,  the  pots,  and  the  shovels, 
and  the  basons,  and  the  flesh- 
hooks,  and  the  fire-pans :  all  the 
vessels  thereof  made  he  o/brass. 

4  And  he  made  for  the  altar  a 
brazen  grate  of  net-work  under  the 

ach.  27.  1. 

been  gilt  all  over.  (See  '  Egyptian 
Antiquities,'  vol.  ii.  p.  144.)  Goguet 
thinks,  indeed,  that  gilding  was  not 
known  to  the  Greeks  in  the  time  of 
Homer.  We  do  not  feel  that  this  po- 
sition is  fairly  established  by  the  in- 
stance he  adduces  ;  and  if  it  were  so, 
it  is  not  only  easy  to  conceive,  but  is 
certainly  true,  that  the  Egyptians  had 
at  that  time  long  been  acquainted  with 
many  arts  which  were  not  yet  known 
to  the  Greeks.  Goguet's  instance  is, 
that  when  the  heifer  which  Nestor  was 
about  to  offer  to  Minerva  had,  accord- 
ing to  custom,  its  horns  ornamented 
with  gold,  the  process  followed  by  the 
operator,  who  came  with  anvil,  ham- 
mer, and  pincers,  is  evidently  not  that 
of  gilding,  but  of  overlaying  with  plates 
of  metal.  (See  'Origine  des  Lois,'  t.  2. 
p.  209.)'    Pictorial  Bible. 


compass  tuereof  beneath  unto  the 
midst  of  it. 

5  And  he  cast  four  rings  for  the 
four  ends  of  the  grate  of  brass,  to 
be  places  for  the  staves. 

6  And  he  made  the  staves  of 
shittim-wood,  and  overlaid  them 
with  brass. 

7  And  he  put  the  staves  into  the 
rings  on  the  sides  of  the  altar,  to 
bear  it  withal ;  he  m.ade  the  altar 
hollow  with  boards. 

8  H  And  he  made  b  the  laver  of 
brass,  and  the  foot  of  it  of  brass,  of 
the  looking-glasses  of  the  ivomen 
aesembling,  which  assembled  nt 
the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the 


congregation. 


bch.30.  18. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
8.  He  made  the  laver  of  brass — of  the 
looking-glasses  of  the  women  assem- 
bling, &c.  'As  the  laver  was  of  brass 
or  copper,  it  is  evident  that  the  '  look- 
ing-glasses,' with  which  it  was  made, 
were  of  the  same  metal.  The  word 
'  mirror'  should  have  been  used  in  the 


place  of  '  looking-g/ass,'  in  the  various 
passages  where  it  occurs,  and  which 
are  all  incompatible  with  the  idea  of 
glass.  Thus  Job  (chap.  37.  IS),  'Hast 
thou  with  him  spread  out  the  sky, 
which  is  strong,  and  as  a  molten  look- 
ing-glass ?'  and  an  apocryphal  writer 
(Ecclus.  12.  11.)  says,  'Thou  shalt  be 
unto  him  as  if  thou  hadst  wiped  a 
looking-glass,  and  thou  shalt  know  that 
his  rust  hath  not  been  altogether  wiped 
away.'  In  all  these  passages  a  metallic 
mirror  is  obviously  intended.  The  word 
tlS^'l^  maroth,  considered  to  denote  mir 
rors  in  the  present  text,  does  not,  how 
ever,  any  where  else  occur  in  that  sense, 
and  Dr.  Boothroyd,  taking  it  in  its  most 
usual  sense,  considers  the  text  to  mean 
that  the  laver  was  made  under  the  in- 
spection of  the  women,  not  with  their 
mirrors.  This  explanation  seems  to  us 
to  involve  greater  difficulties  than  those 
which  it  is  designed  to  obviate.  The 
common  translation  is  perfectly  con- 
sistent with  the  context,  and  with  the 
early  history  of  mirrors  ;  besides  which, 
all  the  ancient  versions,  as  well  as  the 
Jewish  writers,  understand  mirrors  to 
be  intended.  We  may  understand  either 
that  the  stock  of  copper  in  the  camp 


280 


EXODUS. 


[B.C.  149J. 


was  so  comparatively  small,  as  to  have 
been  exhausted  in  the  other  works  lor 
the  tabernacle,  or  else  that  the  mirrors 
of  the  women  were  particularly  required 
for  the  laver  as  being  of  a  superior  sort 
of  metal.  As  the  women  who  assem- 
bled at  the  tabernacle  are  especially 
mentioned,  it  is  not  improbable  that 
they  followed  the  example  of  the  Egyp- 
tian women  who  took  their  mirrors  with 
them  when  they  went  to  the  temples, 
Moses  may  have  required  them  for  the 
laver,  in  order  to  put  a  stop  to  a  practice 
of  which  he  did  not  approve. 

'Artificial  mirrors  seem  to  have  been 
made  as  soon  as  men  began  to  exercise 
their  ingenuity  on  metals  and  stones. 
Every  solid  body  capable  of  receiving  a 
polish  would  be  more  or  less  suitable 
for  this  purpose  ;  hence  the  earliest  mir- 
rors of  which  we  possess  any  informa- 
tion were  of  metal.  Stone  mirrors  are 
also  noticed  very  early ;  but  as  such 
mirrors  could  not  have  been  in  any  de- 
gree equal  to  those  of  polished  metal, 
they  are  rarely  mentioned  by  ancient 
authors,  and  then  seem  to  be  chiefly 
used  for  purposes  of  ornament,  being 
polished  slabs  or  panels  fixed  in  the 
walls  of  wainscoted  apartments.  For 
this  purpose  the  Romans  preferred  what 
Pliny  calls  the  obsidian  stone,  which 
Beckmann  identifies  with  the  species 
of  vitrified  lava  now  called  Icelandic 
agate.  Plane,  concave,  and  convex  mir- 
rors of  a  similar  substance  were  in  use 
among  the  Americans  when  the  Span- 
iards came  among  them ;  and  they  had 
also  others  made  with  a  mineral  called 
the  Inca's  stone,  which  seems  to  have 
been  a  compact  marcasite  or  pyrites, 
susceptible  of  a  fine  polish,  and  cal- 
culated to  form  mirrors  apparently  su- 
perior to  any  of  stone  which  the  ancient 
nations  of  Europe  and  Asia  seem  to 
have  possessed.  The  Americans  had 
also  mirrors  of  silver,  copper,  and  brass. 
When  men  began  to  work  metals,  it 
must  soon  have  been  discovered  that 
tho  hardest  white  metals  reflected  more 


distinct  images,  when  polished,  than 
any  others.  Of  all  the  metals  known 
to  the  ancients,  steel  was  the  best  cal- 
culated for  the  purpose  ;  but  Beckmann 
says  that  he  can  discover  no  indications 
that  steel  mirrors  were  in  use  among 
them;  and  he  thinks  that  its  liability 
to  contract  rust  and  to  become  tarnish- 
ed, prevented  this  otherv^ise  desirable 
metal  from  being  employed  for  the  pur- 
pose. We  rather  differ  from  him  in  this 
particular.  The  mention  of^ rust  in  the 
above  quotation  from  the  Apocrypha 
seems  to  imply  that  the  mirror  there  in 
view  was  of  steel ;  and  although  it  be 
true  that  the  Greeks  and  Romans  did 
not  use  such  mirrors,  it  does  not  follow 
that  they  were  not  employed  in  the 
East,  where,  in  most  parts,  the  dryness 
of  the  atmosphere  exposes  polished 
steel  to  the  least  possible  danger  from 
rust.  In  fact  steel  mirrors,  although 
in  some  degree  superseded  by  looking- 
glasses,  continue  to  be  extensively  used 
in  the  East.  After  steel,  in  eligibility 
for  mirrors,  comes  silver;  and  we  find 
that  silver  mirrors  are  those  most  gen- 
erally mentioned  among  the  Greeks  and 
Romans.  '  In  the  Roman  code  of  laws,' 
says  Beckmann,  '  when  silver  plate  is 
mentioned,  under  the  heads  of  heirship 
and  succession  by  propinquity,  silver 
mirrors  are  rarely  omitted  ;  and  Pliny, 
Seneca,  and  other  writers,  who  inveigh 
against  luxury,  tell  us,  ridiculing  the 
extravagance  of  that  age,  that  every 
young  woman  in  their  time  must  have  a 
silver  mirror.  These  polished  silver 
plates  may  however  have  been  very 
slight,  for  all  the  ancient  mirrors  pre- 
served in  collections,  which  I  have  seen, 
are  only  covered  with  a  tliin  coat  of 
that  expensive  metal.'  There  was  also 
in  use  for  the  same  purpose  a  mixture 
of  copper  and  tin,  producing  a  white 
metal  which  would  seem  to  have  been 
better  adapted  for  mirrors  than  silver, 
although,  on  some  account  or  other,  it 
was  not  so  much  esteemed  for  the  pur- 
pose.   One  reason  probably  was,  that 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


281 


this  metal  was  more  liable  to  be  tar- 
nished than  those  of  silver,  requiring  to 
be  frequently  brightened  before  being 
used.  Hence  it  seems  that  a  sponge 
with  pounded  pumice-stone  was  gene- 
rally suspended  near  the  ancient  mir- 
rors. Mirrors  of  copper,  brass,  and 
gold,  do  not  appear  to  have  been  much 
in  use  after  the  superior  fitness  of  silver 
was  discovered ;  yet  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  copper  and  brass  were  soonest 
applied  to  this  purpose,  and  doubtless 
continued  to  be  used  by  those  who  could 
not  afford  silver  or  silvered  mirrors. 
The  use  of  metallic  mirrors  is  now,  in 
Europe,  almost  entirely  confined  to  re- 
flecting telescopes.  The  mode  of  com- 
pounding the  metals  of  which  these  mir- 
rors are  made,  and  of  polishing  them  of  a 
proper  form,  is  an  art  of  great  nicety. 

There  is  some  difficulty  in  determin- 
ing when  glass  mirrors  were  invented. 
Pliny  alludes  to  attempts  made  at  Sidon 
to  form  mirrors  with  glass,  but  in  what 
manner  does  not  appear  ;  and  if  the  at- 
tempts had  produced  any  approximation 
to  our  mirrors,  they  would  surely  have 


superseded  those  of  metal,  which  they 
were  so  far  from  doing  that,  whatever 
they  were,  they  never  came  into  use. 
With  the  exception  of  this  notice  in 
Pliny,  there  is  no  trace  of  glass  mirrors 
till  the  the  thirteenth  century,  after 
which  they  are  spoken  of  in  the  clear- 
est manner,  and  contmued  to  be  men- 
tioned in  every  century,  and  at  last 
mirrors  of  metal  passed  entirely  out  of 
notice.  That  the  practical  invention  ol 
glass  mirrors  cannot  be  much  earlier 
than  the  date  here  assigned,  seems  to 
be  evinced  by  the  fact,  mentioned  by 
Beckmann,  that  glass  mirrors  continued 
to  be  very  scarce  in  France  in  the  four- 
teenth century.  Those  of  metal  were 
still  in  common  use,  and  the  mirror  of 
even  the  queen,  Anne  of  Bretagne,  con- 
sort of  Louis  XII.,  was  of  this  descrip- 
tion.— On  the  history  of  mirrors,  see 
further  in  Beckmann's  '  Hist,  of  Inven- 
tions,' vol.  iii.  See  also  Goguet,  'Ori- 
gine  des  Lois.'  t.  i.  p.  371 ;  Harmer 
vol.  iv.  p.  332—334  ;  Burder's  'Oriental 
Customs,'  vol.i.p.  37;  vol.  ii.  p.52,&c. 
Pict.  Bib. 


24^ 


Ancient  Egyptian  Mirrors. 


282 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491 


9  H  And  he  made  c  the  court :  on 
the  south  side  southward  the  hang- 
ings of  the  court  were  of  fine  twi- 
ned linen,  a  hundred  cubits: 

10  Their  pillars  icere  twenty,  and 
their  brazen  sockets  twenty;  the 
hooks  of  the  pillars,  and  their  fil- 
lets, were  of  silver. 

11  And  for  the  north  side,  the 
hangings  were  an  hundred  cubits, 
their  pillars  were  twenty,  and  their 
sockets  of  brass  twenty:  the  hooks 
of  the  pillars,  and  their  fillets,  of 
silver. 

12  And  for  the  west  side  icere 
hangings  of  fifty  cubits,  their  pil- 
lars ten,  and  their  sockets  ten ; 
the  hooks  of  the  pillars,  and  their 
fillets,  o/ silver. 

c  ch.  27.  9. 

IT  Assembling.  Heb.  TiSSDlk  tzobeoth 
assembling  in  troops.  The  Heb.  word 
here  rendered  '  assembling'  is  properly 
a  military  term  applied  to  the  orderly 
mustering  or  marshalling  of  aii  army. 
The  verb  from  which  it  is  derived,  J^D^ 
tzaba,  has  the  signification  of  warring 
or  going  forth  upon  a  military  expe- 
dition, and  the  corresponding  substan- 
tive is  for  the  most  part  rendered  'host,' 
'hosts  ;'  sometimes  'war,'  or  'warfare.' 
But  as  the  regularity  and  order  which 
marked  the  services  of  the  sanctuary 
resembled  those  which  prevail  in  a  well- 
disciplined  army,  one  party  succeeding 
and  relieving  another  in  the  discharge 
of  their  appropriate  duties,  the  term 
became  at  length  applied  to  the  orderly 
^Gurse  of  ministration  in  the  matter  of 
the  worship  of  God,  as  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  passages ;  Num.  4. 
23,  'All  that  enter  in  to  perform  the 
service  {'HClS.  ^iniSb  litzbo  tzaba,  to  war 
the  warfare  ;)  i.  e.  perform  the  service, 
to  do  the  work  of  the  tabernacle ;  Gr. 
\EiTovpyeiv,  to  minister.  Num.  8.  24, 
'From  twenty  and  five  years  old  and  up- 
ward they  will  go  in  to  wait  upon  the 
service  (^'2'2  5^il2^  litzbo  tzaba,  to  ivar 


13  And  for  the  east  side  eastward 

fifty  cubits. 

14  The  hangings  of  the  one  side 
of  the  gate  were  fifteen  cubits ; 
their  pillars  three  and  their  sock- 
ets three. 

15  And  for  the  other  side  of  the 
court-gate,  on  this  hand  and  that 
hand,  it-ere  hangings  of  fifteen  cu- 
bits ;  their  pillars  three,  and  their 
sockets  three. 

16  All  the  hangings  of  the  court 
round  about  icere  of  fine  twined 
linen. 

17  And  the  sockets  for  the  pillars 
were  of  brass ;  the  hooks  of  the 
pillars,  and  their  fillets,  of  silver; 
and  the  overlaying  of  their  chap- 
iters o/ silver;  and  all  the  pillars  of 
the  court  icere  filleted  with  silver. 

the  warfare)  of  the  tabernacle.'  So 
with  probably  a  like  sense  Paul  says 
to  Timothy,  'that  thou  mightest  uar  a 
good  warfare  ;'  as  if  it  were  a  usual 
phrase  to  signify  the  service  of  God. 
In  the  present  instance  accordingly  we 
suppose  the  word  is  applied  to  certain 
women  of  the  congregation  who  had 
devoted  themselves,  from  the  prompt- 
ings of  a  peculiar  spirit  of  piety,  to  va- 
rious functions  pertaining  to  the  taber- 
nacle service,  for  the  same  or  a  similar 
reason  to  that  for  which  the  term  is  ap- 
plied to  men  when  busied  in  the  like 
employment.  In  strict  parallelism  with 
this  we  find  the  word  occurring  1  Sam. 
2.  22.  'And  how  they  lay  with  the 
women  that  assembled  (Mi^jizri  hatz- 
tzobeoth)  at  the  door  of  the  congrega- 
tion ;  i.  e.  who  were  convened  there  as 
female  ministers  for  pious  purposes. 
So  it  is  said  of  Anna,  the  prophetess, 
Luke  2.26,  that  she  'departed  not  from 
the  temple,  but  served  God  with  fast- 
ings and  prayers  night  and  day.'  With 
this  mode  of  interpretation — the  assem- 
bling for  purposes  of  pious  ministry — 
several  of  the  ancient  versions  striking- 
ly accord.    Thus,  the  Chal.  'Of  the  mir- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


283 


18  And  the  hanging  for  the  gate 
of  the  court  was  needle-work,  of 
blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and 
fine  twined  linen :  and  twenty  cubits 
ivas  the  length,  and  the  height  in 
the  breadth  icas  five  cubits  answer- 
able to  the  hangings  of  the  court. 

19  And  their  pillars  ivere  four, 
and  their  sockets  of  brass  four; 
their  hooks  o/ silver,  and  the  over- 
laying of  their  chapiters  and  their 
fillets  q/ silver. 

20  And  all  the  ^  pins  of  the  taber- 
nacle, and  of  the  court  round  about, 
ivere  of  brass- 

21  ^  This  is  the  sum  of  the  tab- 
ernacle, eve}i  of  e  the  tabernacle  of 
testimony,  as  it  was  counted,  ac- 
cording to  the  commandment  of 
Moses,  for  the  service  of  the  Le- 
vi tes,  f  by  the  hand  of  Ithamar,  son 
to  Aaron  the  priest. 

d  ch.  27.  19.  e  Numb.  1.  50.  53.  &  9.  15. 
&  10.  11.  A  17.  7,  8.  <Sc  18.  2.  2  Cliron.  24.  6. 
Acts  7.  44.     f  Numb.  4.  2S.  33. 

rors  of  the  women  which  came  to  pray 
at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle.'  Gr.  'Of 
the  women  ihdit  fasted ,  which  fasted  at 
the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  witness.' 
Fasting  is  here  specified  because  it  was 
a  usual  accompaniment  of  praying. 
Targ.  Jon.  '  Of  the  brazen  mirrors  of 
modest  women,  who,  when  they  came 
to  pray  in  the  portal  of  the  tabernacle 
stood  by  their  heave-offering,  and  offer- 
ed praises  and  made  confessions.' 

18.  The  height  in  the  breadth  was 
five  cubits.  The  phrase  is  Hebraic,  de- 
noting the  height  of  the  hanging  of  the 
gate,  which  was  five  cubits,  correspond- 
ing with  that  of  the  rest  of  the  hang- 
ings of  the  court.  Suppose  this  piece 
of  tapestry,  which  was  twenty  cubits 
in  length,  to  be  lying  spread  out  upon 
the  ground  ;  it  is  evident  that  what 
constitutes  its  breath  in  this  situation 
becomes  its  height  when  hung  up  ;  and 
this  is  what  is  meant  by  the  text.  Its 
height  as  composed  of  its  breadth  was 
five  cubits. 


22  And  gBezaleel  the  son  of  Uri, 
the  son  of  Hur,  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  made  all  that  the  Lord 
commanded  Moses. 

23  And  with  him  ivas  Aholiab, 
son  of  Ahisamach,  of  the  tribe  of 
Dan,  an  engraver,  and  a  cunning 
workman,  and  an  embroiderer  in 
blue,  and  in  purple,  and  in  scarlet, 
and  fine  linen. 

24  All  the  gold  that  was  occupied 
for  the  work  in  all  the  work  of  the 
holy  place,  even  the  gold  of  the 
offering,  Avas  twenty  and  nine  tal- 
ents, and  seven  hundred  and  thirty 
shekels  after  h  the  shekel  of  the 
sanctuary. 

25  And  the  silver  of  them  that 
were  numbered  of  the  congrega- 
tion icas  a  hundred  talents,  and  a 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  three- 
score and  fifteen  shekels,  after  the 
shekel  of  the  sanctuary  : 

gch.  31.2,  6.  hch.  30  13,  24.  Lev.  5.  15. 
&  27.  3,  25.  Numb.  3.  47.  &  IS.  16. 

21.  This  is  the  sum  of  the  tabernacle. 
That  is,  the  sum,  enumeration,  or  in- 
ventory of  the  various  particulars  of 
the  tabernacle  furniture.  These  were 
reckoned  up  by  the  Levites  over  whom 
Ithamar,  the  son  of  Aaron,  presided. 
In  the  clause,  '  for  the  service  of  the 
Levites,'  the  word 'for' does  not  occur 
in  the  original,  and  the  meaning  prob- 
ably is,  that  it  was  counted  by  the  labor 
ox  ministry  of  the  Levites.  The  words 
are  a  preface  to  what  follows  extending 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

24.  And  all  the  gold,  &c.  Although 
the  tabernacle,  as  a  portable  structure, 
cannot,  from  its  known  proportions  and 
general  appearance,  have  been  a  very 
grand  or  imposing  structure,  yet  we 
may  safely  say,  that  probably  the  world 
never  saw  so  small  a  fabric  composed 
of  such  rich  materials,  and  reared  at  so 
vast  a  cost.  As  the  quantities  of  the 
precious  metals  employed  are  stated, 
some  idea  of  its  surpassing  richness 
may  be  formed.    The  gold  weighed  29 


2S4 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


26  i  A  bekah  for  every  man,  that 
.  half  a  shekel,  after  the  shekel 
of  the  sanctuary,  for  every  one  that 
went  to  be  numbered,  from  twenty 
vears  old  and  upward,  for  k  six  hun- 
dred thousand  and  three  thousand 
and  five  hundred  and  fifty  me?i. 
21  And  of  the  hundred  talents  of 
silver  were  cast  Uhe  sockets  of  the 

ich.  20.  13,  15.      kNumb.  1.4G.     i  ch.  26. 
.9,  21,25,  32. 


talents  and  730  shekels,  if  we  allow 
3000  shekels  to  the  talent  of  125  lbs. ; 
dud  this  at  £4  the  ounce  would  be 
equal  to  £175,000  sterling,  or  nearly 
$877,000.  The  silver  was  100  talents 
and  1775  shekels,  being  a  half  shekel 
Irom  all  the  males  above  twenty  years 
of  age  when  they  came  out  of  Egypt, 
whose  number  was  603,550  ;  the  whole 
value  of  this  would,  at  5s.  the  ounce,  be 
£39,721,  or  nearly  $188,605.  The  brass, 
or  rather  copper,  was  70  talents  and 
24,000  shekels,  which  if  valued  at  \s.  3d. 
the  pound  avoirdupois  would  be  worth 
£138,  or  $690.  The  amount  of  these 
several  sums  would  not  be  less  than 
£213,320,  or  $1 ,066,600.  But  this  amount 
does  not  include  the  curtains  of  the  in- 
closure,  the  coverings  of  the  tabernacle, 
the  dress  of  the  high  priest  and  its  jew- 
els, the  dresses  of  the  common  priests, 
or  the  value  of  the  skill  and  labor  em- 
ployed in  the  work,  the  whole  of  which 
may  be  fairly  taken  to  have  raised  its 
value  to  the  immense  sum  of  £250,000, 
or  $1,250,000! 

It  may  perhaps  be  difficult  for  some 
to  imagine  how  the  Israelites  should 
have  been  possessed  of  so  much  wealth 
in  the  desert.  But  it  is  to  be  recollect- 
ed that  they  had  come  out  of  Egypt 
with  great  spoil, which  was  no  doubt 
very  much  augmented  by  what  they  ob- 
tained from  the  dead  bodies  of  their 
enemies,  cast  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Red  Sea.  The  subsequent  victory  over 
the  Amalekites,  probably  increased  still 
further  their  predatory  treasures.    Add 


sanctuary,  and  the  sockets  of  the 
vail;  a  hundred  sockets  of  the  hun- 
dred talents,  a  talent  for  a  socket. 

28  And  of  the  thousand  seven 
hundred  seventy  and  five  shekels 
he  made  hooks  for  the  pillars,  and 
overlaid  their  chapiters,  and  fillet- 
ed them. 

29  And  the  brass  of  the  offering 
was  seventy  talents,  and  two  thou- 
sand and  four  hundred  shekels. 

to  this,  that  there  is  no  reason  to  ques- 
tion that  they  trafficked  more  or  less 
with  the  wandering  tribes  of  the  desert, 
on  their  way  to  Canaan,  though  we  are 
no  where  expressly  informed  that  this 
was  the  case. 

The  grand  reason  for  employing  so 
great  an  amount  of  riches  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  tabernacle  and  its  fur- 
niture was  undoubtedly  two-fold,  (1.) 
To  impress  the  minds  of  the  chosen 
people  with  the  glory  and  dignity  of  the 
Divine  Majesty,  and  the  importance  of 
his  service  ;  and  (2.)  To  convey  through 
the  gorgeousness  and  splendor  of  the 
external  ritual  an  intimation  of  the 
essential  and  transcendent  beauty,  ex- 
cellence, and  glory  of  the  spiritual  things 
that  were  shadowed  out  by  it.  In  this 
there  Avas  a  wise  adaptation  to  the 
mental  condition  of  the  Israelites.  They 
were  in  a  sense  like  children,  wiiose 
minds  must  be  reached  through  the  me- 
dium of  their  senses.  But  little  capable 
of  high  abstract  apprehensions  of  spirit- 
ual subjects,  it  was  only  by  means  of 
such  a  sensuous  apparatus  of  worship 
that  they  could  receive  the  inner  essen- 
tial truths  which  it  involved.  To  us, 
favored  as  we  are  with  a  higher  state 
of  intellectual  advancement,  such  a  sys- 
tem is  not  necessary,  and  consequently 
it  is  done  away. 

26.  A  bekah  for  every  man.  The 
value  of  the  bekah  is  immediately  de- 
fined to  be  half  a  shekel.  The  original 
3>p:n  bekah  comes  from  yp'2  baka,  to  di- 
vide, to  cleave,  to  separate  into  two.    It 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


30  And  therewith  he  made  the 
sockets  to  the  door  of  the  taberna- 
cle of  the  congregation,  and  the 
brazen  altar,  and  the  brazen  grate 
for  it,  and  all  the  vessels  of  the 
altar, 

31  And  the  sockets  of  the  court 
round  about,  and  the  sockets  of  the 
court-gate,  and  all  the  pins  of  the 
tabernacle,  and  all  the  pins  of  the 
court  round  about. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
A  ND  of  a  the  blue,  and  purple, 
-^  and  scarlet,  they  made  b  clothes 
of  service,  to  do  service  in.  the  holy 

ach.  35.  23.      bch.  31.  10.  &  35.  19. 

seems  to  signify,  not  a  particular  coin, 
but  a  shekel  broken  or  cut  in  two.  So, 
according  to  A.  Clarke,  the  English 
penny  was  anciently  cut  into  four  parts, 
and  the  fourth  part  called  a  fourthing, 
corrupted  into  farthing. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Work  of  the  Tabernacle  continued. 
I.  They  made  clothes  of  service.  This 
phrase  is  previously  used,  Ex.  31.  10, 
for  the  coverings  which  were  thrown 
over  or  wrapped  about  the  various  arti- 
cles of  the  sacred  furuiture,  when  the 
camp  was  removed.  But  it  is  here  ap- 
plied to  the  priestly  garments,  import- 
ing that  they  were  not  made  for  mere 
display,  nor  to  be  worn  abroad,  but  on- 
ly in  the  sanctuary.  The  ensuing  clause, 
'  to  do  the  service  in  the  holy  place,' 
is  probably  to  be  understood  as  de- 
termining the  use  of  them  to  the  one 
place  and  purpose  for  which  they  were 
intended,  and  for  nothing  else.  'Those 
upon  whom  honor  is  put,  from  them 
service  is  expected.  It  is  said  of  those 
who  are  arrayed  in  white  robes.  Rev. 
7.  13,  15,  that  '  they  were  before  the 
throne  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in 

his  temple.' '   Henry. IT  As  the  Lord 

commanded   Moses.     It   is   observable 
that  all  the  six  paragraphs  from  this  to 


place,  and  made  the  holy  garments 
for  Aaron ;  c  as  the  Lord  command- 
ed Moses. 

2  d  And  he  made  the  ephod  of 
gold,  blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet, 
and  fine  twined  linen. 

3  And  they  did  beat  the  gold  into 
thin  plates,  and  cut  it  into  wires, 
to  work  it  in  the  blue,  and  in  the 
purple,  and  in  the  scarlet,  and  in 
the  fine  linen,  with  cunning  work. 

4  The  made  shoulder-pieces  for 
it,  to  couple  it  together:  by  the 
tAvo  edges  was  it  coupled  together. 

5  And  the  curious  girdle  of  his 

c  ch.  28.  4.     d  ch.  28.  6. 

V.  31,  giving  an  account  of  the  making 
of  the  high  priest's  garments,  conclude 
with  these  words.  As  this  is  not  the 
case  in  the  previous  statements,  it  would 
seem- that  they  had  in  the  preparation 
of  these  articles  a  peculiarly  strict  re- 
gard to  the  divine  appointment ;  and 
this  was  perhaps  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  high  priest  in  his  appropriate  dress 
was  the  most  prominent  type  of  Christ 
of  any  thing  in  the  whole  establish- 
ment. 

3.  They  did  beat  the  gold  into  thin 
plates,  and  cut  it  into  wires.  We  here 
again  avail  ourselves  of  the  result  of 
the  researches  of  our  usual  guide  in 
matters  of  this  nature.  '  This  is  the 
most  ancient  notice  of  the  preparation 
of  gold  in  wires,  or  extended  threads  to 
be  interwoven  in  cloths,  and  it  is  quite 
in  conformity  with  all  the  information 
we  can  collect  from  ancient  writings  on 
the  subject.  Works  made  w-ith  threads 
of  metal  are  rarely  mentioned  at  all, 
and  whenever  they  are  spoken  of,  the 
wire  appears  to  have  been  wholly  made 
on  the  anvil.  The  metals  were  beaten 
with  a  hammer  into  thin  plates,  then 
cut  with  a  pair  of  scissors  or  other  in- 
strument, into  narrow  slips,  which  were 
afterwards  rounded  with  the  hammer 
and  file,  so  as  to  form  wires  or  threads. 
Most  of  this  process  is  described  in  the 


286 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1401. 


ephod,  that  was  upon  it,  was  of  the 
same,  according  to  the  work  there- 
of; o/gold,  blue,  and  purple,  and 
scarlet,  and  fine  twined  linen;  as 
the  Lord  commanded  Moses. 

text.  A  very  similar  process  of  fabri- 
cation is  described  by  Homer  as  being 
used  by  Vulcan,  who  repaired  to  his 
forge  and  formed  upon  his  anvil  a  net 
so  fine,  that  it  could  be  perceived  by  no 
one,  not  even  by  the  gods,  being  more 
delicate  than  the  web  of  a  spider.  Aba- 
ting the  hyperbole, we  gather  from  this, 
as  well  as  from  the  fact  that  the  threads 
of  metal  were,  in  the  instance  before 
us,  interwoven  with,  or  employed  to 
embroider  cloths,  that  very  fine  wire 
was  formed  by  this  tedious  and  labori- 
ous process.  It  is  not  exactly  clear 
how  the  gold  threads  were  applied  to 
ornament  the  ephod  of  the  high  priest. 
We  rather  think  they  were  not  inter- 
woven in  the  cloth,  as  in  ch.  35.  34,  it 
seems  to  be  said  that  the  colors  in  the 
rich  cloth  were  the  work  of  the  embroid- 
erer as  distinguished  from  the  weaver, 
who  is  afterwards  mentioned.  So  also 
the  robe  of  the  ephod,  which  was  all  of 
blue,  is  said  to  have  been  of  woven  work 
(v.  22.),  probably  to  denote  its  simpli- 
city. The  same  is  also  said  of  the  in- 
nermost  coat  (v.  27.)  ;  while  in  speak- 
ing of  the  ephod,  the  girdles,  &c.,  which 
were  highly  ornamented,  embroidery 
and  needlework  are  mentioned.  Beck- 
man  thinks  that  the  earliest  application 
of  gold  to  dress  was  to  sew  on  slips  of 
the  metal,  particularly  on  the  seams, 
as  is  now  done  with  gold  lace.  As  there 
is  no  mention  in  the  text  of  any  process 
subsequent  to  that  of  cutting  the  metal- 
lic plate  into  slips,  necessarily  flat,  it 
is  possible  that  they  were  embroidered 
on  the  dress  or  otherwise  applied  with- 
out being  rounded  into  wires  or  threads. 
Beckmann  supposes  that  gold  stars  and 
other  figures  cut  Irom  thin  plates  of 
the  metal  were  very  early  applied  to 
dresses,  much  iu  the  same  manner  as 


6  H  eAnd  they  wrought  onyx- 
stones  enclosed  in  ouches  of  gold, 
graven  as  signets  are  graven,  with 
the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel. 


e  ch.  28.  9. 


spangles  at  present,  being  either  sewed 
to  the  cloth,  or  fastened  by  some  adhe- 
sive composition.  To  this  would  seem 
to  have  succeeded  the  arts  of  embroider- 
ing and  interweaving  with  threads  of 
gold  and  ultimately  the  progress  of  un- 
comfortable luxury  led  to  the  formation 
of  clothes  entirely  of  threads  of  gold 
without  any  other  material.  This  was 
indeed  '  cloth  of  gold'  — a  name  which 
in  more  modern  times  has  been  given  te 
cloth,  the  threads  of  which  are  of  silk 
wound  about  with  silver  wire  flattened 
and  gilded.  Silver  does  not  seem  for  a 
long  time  to  have  been  employed  for 
similar  purposes,  and  accordingly  it  is 
not  mentioned  in  Scripture  as  being  so 
applied.  Beckmann,  in  evidence  of  its 
being  unknown  at  so  comparatively 
late  a  period  as  the  time  of  Aurelian, 
quotes  a  passage  from  Vopiscus,  who 
states  that  this  emperor  was  desirous 
of  entirely  abolishing  the  use  of  gold  in 
gilding  and  weaving,  because,  though 
there  was  more  gold  than  silver  (this  is 
in  itself  a  curious  fact),  the  former  had 
become  scarcer,  as  much  of  it  was  con- 
tinually lost  by  being  applied  to  such 
purposes,  whereas  every  thing  that  was 
silver  continued  so.  This  seems  to  ren- 
der it  clear  that  silver  was  not  used  for 
such  purposes.  Yet,  as  Beckmann  him- 
self observes  in  a  note,  it  is  barely  pos- 
sible that  Vopiscus  speaks  of  gilt  sil- 
ver ;  for  as  the  ancients  were  not  ac- 
quainted with  the  art  of  separating 
these  metals,  the  gold  would  be  entire- 
ly lost  when  they  melted  the  silver. 
He  adds,  however,  that  he  had  met 
with  no  passage  in  any  ancient  authors 
where  weaving  or  embroidering  in 
threads  of  gilt  silver  is  mentioned.  Nei- 
ther have  we.  There  is  no  notice  of  sil. 
ver  thread  being  interwoven  in  cloth  ear- 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


2S7 


7  And  he  put  them  on  the  should- 
ers of  the  ephod,  tlial  they  should 
he  stones  for  a  ^memorial  to  the 
children  of  Israel;  as  the  Lord 
commanded  Moses. 

8  ^sAnd  he  made  the  breast- 
plate of  cunning  work,  like  the 
work  of  the  ephod;  of  gold,  blue, 
and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  fine 
twined  linen. 

9  It  was  four-square ;  they  made 
the  breast-plate  double :  a  span 
toas  the  length  thereof,  and  a  span 
the  breadth  thereof,  being  doubled. 

10  h  And  they  set  in  it  four  rows 
of  stones :  the  first  row  was  a  sar- 
dius,  a  topaz,  and  a  carbuncle: 
this  was  the  first  row. 

f  ch.  28.  12.  ?ch.  23.  15.   h  ch.  28.  17.  &c. 


lier  than  the  limes  of  the  Greek  later 
emperors. 

'It  is  really  surprising  to  find  so  much 
use  made  of  threads  of  precious  metals 
while  it  continued  to  be  formed  by  the 
hammer.  Beckmann  declares  himself 
unable  to  determine  when  attempts 
were  first  made  to  draw  into  threads 
metal,  cut  or  beat  into  small  slips,  by 
forcing  them  through  holes  in  a  steel 
plate  placed  perpendicularly  on  a  table. 
But  the  art  was  not  known  in  Italy  in 
the  time  of  Charlemagne  ;  and  our  au- 
thor, from  the  best  evidence  he  was 
able  to  obtain,  is  disposed  to  attribute 
the  invention  of  the  drawing-plate  to 
the  fourteenth  century.  Since  then  the 
arts  of  forming  and  applying  threads  of 
gold  have  received  much  improvement. 
It  is  not  known  when  wire  first  began 
to  be  spun  round  thread,  as  it  now  usu- 
ally is  in  application  to  dress.  This 
branch  of  the  art  is  not  ancient.  The 
threads  found  among  the  ruins  of  Her- 
culaneum  are  of  massy  gold.  When 
the  fine  wire  first  began  to  be  spun 
round  the  thread  it  was  round  ;  the  art 
of  first  flattening  the  wire,  by  means  of 
"which  tassels  and  other  ornaments  have 
teen  rendered  much  cheaper — in  conse- 


11  And  the  second  row,  an  eme- 
rald, a  sapphire,  and  a  diamond. 

12  And  the  third  row,  a  ligure, 
an  agate,  and  an  amethyst. 

13  And  the  fourth  row,  a  beryl, 
an  onyx,  and  a  jasper :  they  loere 
enclosed  in  ouches  of  gold  in  their 
enclosings. 

14  And  the  stones  were  accord- 
ing to  the  names  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  twelve,  according  to  their 
names,  like  the  engravings  of  a  sig- 
net, every  one  with  his  name,  ac- 
cording to  the  twelve  tribes. 

15  And  they  made  upon  the 
breast-plate  chains  at  the  ends,  of 
wreathen  work  o/pure  gold. 

16  And  they  made  two  ouches 
of  gold,  and  two  gold  rings,  and 

quence  of  much  less  metal  being  re- 
quired to  cover  the  silk — and  at  the 
same  time  more  brilliant  and  beautiful, 
is  of  modern  but  uncertain  date.  The 
different  degrees  of  ductility  of  gold 
and  silver  have  led  to  the  beautiful  in- 
vention of  plating  silver  wire  with  gold.' 
Pict.  Bible. 

6.  Onyx-stones  enclosed  in  ouches  of 
gold,  graven  as  signets  are  graven. 
'There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  man- 
kind  were  at  this  time  well  acquainted 
with  the  art  of  polishing  and  engraving 
precious  stones  ;  and  the  various  texts 
relating  to  the  jewelled  ornaments  of 
Aaron's  dress  are  very  interesting  indi- 
cations of  the  progress  which  had  been 
made  in  lapidary  and  stone-engraving. 
It  is  to  observed,  that  the  shoulders 
of  the  ephod  were  ornamented  with 
two  onyx-stones  mounted  on  gold,  and 
that  these  stones  were  engraved  with 
the  names  of  twelve  tribes — six  in  each 
stone ;  and  we  may  therefore  suppose 
the  work  to  have  been  of  a  rather  minute 
character.  Then  from  the  breast-plate 
we  learn  that  twelve  other  sorts  of  pre- 
cious stones  were  known,  as  well  as  the 
brilliant  effect  which  they  would  pro- 
duce by  a  proper  arrangement  on  the 


288 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


put  the  two  rings  in  the  two  ends 
of  the  breast-plate. 

17  And  they  put  the  two  wreath- 
en  chains  of  gold  in  the  two  rings 
on  the  ends  of  the  breast-plate. 

18  And  the  two  ends  of  the  two 
v/reathen  chains  they  fastened  in 
the  two  ouches,  and  put  them  on 
the  shoulder-pieces  of  the  ephod, 
before  it. 

19  And  they  made  two  rings  of 
gold,  and  put  the7n  on  the  two  ends 
of  the  breast-plate,  upon  the  border 
of  it,  which  ivas  on  the  side  of  the 
ephod  inward. 

20.  And  they  made  two  other 
golden  rings,  and  put  them  on  the 
two  sides  of  the  ephod,  underneath, 
toward  the  forepart  of  it,  over 
against  the  other  coupling  thereof, 
above  the  curious  girdle  of  the 
ephod: 

21  And  they  did  bind  the  breast- 
plate by  his  rings  unto  the  rings  of 
the  ephod  with  a  lace  of  blue,  that 
it  might  be  above  the  curious  girdle 

same  surface.  '  Each  of  these  stones 
also  contained  the  name  of  a  tribe ; 
and,  altogether,  we  are  led  to  form  no 
mean  idea  of  the  progress  which  art 
had  thus  early  made  in  the  treatment 
of  precious  stones.  Any  one  at  all  ac- 
quainted with  the  arts  is  well  aware 
that  the  engraving  of  precious  stones 
demands  no  common  measure  of  ad- 
dress, precision,  and  knowledge.  There 
must  be  a  considerable  number  of  very 
fine  and  delicate  tools,  and  great  de- 
cision  of  hand  and  practice.  It  is  indeed 
true  that  the  engraving  of  names  admits 
of  no  comparison  with  the  skill  and  de- 
licacy of  execution  required  in  cutting 
the  figures  of  men  and  animals ;  but 
still,  as  to  the  essentials  of  the  art;  the 
process  is  the  same  in  both,  and  the 
difference  is  only  a  question  of  more  or 
less  perfection.  Goguet  is  astonished 
to  see  that,  in  the  time  of  Moses,  and 
doubtless  earlier,  men  had    made  so 


of  the  ephod,  and  that  the  breast- 
plate might  not  be  loosed  from  the 
ephod;  as  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses. 

22  II  i  And  he  made  the  robe  of 
the  ephod  of  Avoven  work,  all  of 
blue. 

23  And  there  was  a  hole  in  the 
midst  of  the  robe,  as  the  hole  of  a 
habergeon, z^iY/i  a  band  round  about 
the  hole,  that  it  should  not  rend. 

24  And  they  made  upon  the  hems 
of  the  robe  pomegranates  of  blue, 
and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  twin- 
ed linen. 

25  And  they  made  k  bells  of 
pure  gold,  and  put  the  bells  be- 
tween the  pomegranates  upon  the 
hem  of  the  robe,  round  about  be- 
tween the  pomegranates; 

26  A  a  bell  and  a  pomegranate,  a 
bell  and  a  pomegranate,  round 
about  the  hem  of  the  robe  to  min- 
ister in;  as  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses. 

>ch.  23.  31.    kch.  28.  33. 


much  progress  in  art  as  to  be  able  to 
execute  such  works.  Considering  the 
number  of  previous  discoveries  which 
it  is  necessary  to  suppose,  as  well  as 
the  degree  of  knowledge  and  attainment 
which  it  involves,  the  same  author,  not 
without  reason,  is  disposed  to  regard 
the  engraving  of  precious  stones  as  a 
most  marked  evidence  of  the  general 
progress  which  the  arts  had  made,  in 
certain  countries,  at  a  very  early  period. 
With  regard  to  this  particular  branch 
of  art,  we  may  observe  also,  that  in 
the  course  of  time  it  attained  such  an 
advanced  state  among  the  ancients  that 
the  moderns  have  never  been  able  to 
equal  them  in  the  exquisite  delicacy 
and  beauty  of  their  performances  on 
precious  stones.  The  engraved  gems 
which  have  been  preserved  are  still 
the  unapproached  models  of  the  art. 
Pict.  Bible. 
23,  As  the  hole  of  an  habergeon.  The 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


289 


27  1[  J  And  they  made  coats  of 
fine  linen,  of  woven  work,  for 
Aaron  and  for  his  sons, 

28  "» And  a  mitre  of  fine  linen, 
and  goodly  bonnets  of  fine  linen, 
and  n  linen  breeches  of  fine  twined 
linen. 

29  o  And  a  girdle  of  fine  twined 
linen,  and  blue,  and  purple,  and 
scarlet,  of  needle- work;  as  the 
Lord  commanded  Moses. 

30  IF  p  And  they  made  the  plate 
of  the  holy  crown  of  pure  gold, 
and  wrote  upon  it  writing,  like  to 
the  engravings  of  a  signet,  HOLI- 
NESS TO  THE  LORD. 

31  And  they  tied  unto  it  a  lace 
of  blue,  to  fasten  it  on  high  upon 
the  mitre ;  as  the  Lord  command- 
ed Moses. 

32  H  Thus  was  all  the  work  of 
the  tabernacle  of  the  tent  of  the 
congregation  finished:  and  the 
children  of  Israel  did  q  according 
to  all  that  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses,  so  did  they. 

33  H  And  they  brought  the  tab- 
ernacle unto  Moses,  the  tent,  and 
all  his  furniture,  his  taches,  his 
boards,  his  bars,  and  his  pillars, 
and  his  sockets; 

1  ch.  28.  39,  40.  m  ch.  28.  4,  39.  Ezek.  44. 
18.  nch.  28.  42.  o  ch.  28.  39.  P  ch.  28.  36, 
37.     q  ver.  42,  43.  ch.  25.  40. 

habergeon  or  hauberk  was  a  small  coat 
of  mail,  made  of  little  iron  rings  curi- 
ously united  together.  It  covered  the 
neck  and  breast,  was  very  light,  and 
resisted  the  stroke  of  a  sword.  The 
'  band'  is  what  we  should  now  call  a 
binding. 

27.  And  they  made  coats  of  fine  linen. 
The  order  for  making  these  coats  is 
given  above,  ch.28. 40,  but  the  material 
is  not  there  mentioned.  Here  they  are 
said  to  have  been  made  of  fine  linen, 
aad  there  is  good  evidence  that  pure 
white  linen  garments  were  anciently 
used  by  all  nations  in  the  service  of 
God.    This  usage  the  Most  High  was 

Vol.  II.  25 


34  And  the  covering  of  rams* 
skins  dyed  red,  and  the  covering 
of  badgers'  skins,  and  the  vail  of 
the  covering ; 

35  The  ark  of  the  testimony,  and 
the  staves  thereof,  and  the  mercy- 
seat; 

36  The  table,  and  all  the  vessels 
thereof,  and  the  shew-bread ; 

37  The  pure  candlestick,  with  the 
lamps  thereof,  even  with  the  lamps 
to  be  set  in  order,  and  all  the  ves- 
sels thereof,  and  the  oil  for  light; 

38  And  the  golden  altar,  and  the 
anointing  oil,  and  the  sweet  in- 
cense, and  the  hanging  for  the  tab- 
ernacle-door : 

39  The  brazen  altar,  and  his  grate 
of  brass,  his  staves,  and  all  his  ves- 
sels, the  laver  and  his  foot . 

40  The  hangings  of  the  court,  his 
pillars,  and  his  sockets,  and  the 
hanging  for  the  court-gate,  his 
cords,  and  his  pins,  and  all  the  ves- 
sels of  the  service  of  the  taberna- 
cle, for  the  tent  of  the  congrega- 
tion; 

41  The  clothes  of  service  to  do 
service  in  the  holy  place,  and  the 
holy  garments  for  Aaron  the  priest, 
and  his  sons'  garments,  to  minister 
in  the  priest's  oflice. 

42  According  to  all  that  the  Lord 

pleased  to  retain  in  his  worship.  The 
Jewish  priests,  however,  wore  this  rai- 
ment  only  while  officiating  in  the  sanc- 
tuary;  whereas  in  Egypt,  for  instance, 
the  priests  of  Isis  went  every  where 
clothed  in  white. 

30.  They  made  the  plate  of  the  holy 
crown  of  pure  gold.  To  the  explana- 
tions on  this  subject  made  above,  ch. 
28.  36,  we  have  only  here  to  add,  that 
the  priests  generally  among  the  heathen 
nations  of  antiquity  were  distinguished 
by  the  epithet  crTcpavo^popoi^  crown-bear- 
erSf  from  the  crowns  worn  upon  their 
heads,  which  were  usually  made  either 
of  a  laurel  wreath,  or  of  a  rayed  or 


290 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  U9L 


commanded  Moses,  so  the  children 
of  Israel  rmade  all  the  work. 
43  And  Moses  did  look  upon  all 
the  work,  and  behold,  they  had 

rch.  39.  10, 

serrated  band  of  gold. — We  here  ap- 
pend a  view  of  the  high  priest  in  his 


done  it  as  the  Lord  had  command- 
ed, even  so  had  they  done  it:  and 
Moses  s  blessed  them. 

s  Lev.  9.  22,  23.    Numb.  6.  23.  Josh.  22.  6. 
2  Sam.  6.  18.  1  Kings  8.  14.  2  Chron.  30.  27. 

full  costume,  the  details  of  which  have 
been  already  given 


The  High  Priest. 


43.  And  Moses  blessed.  After  having 
thoroughly  examined  the  work  in  all  its 
various  items,  and  found  it  executed 
precisely  according  to  the  directions 
given,  he  confirms  his  acceptance  of  it 
at  the  hands  of  the  people  by  solemnly 
invoking  the  blessing  of  God  upon  them. 
This  teaches  us,  at  the  conclusion  of 
•very  enterprise  undertaken  for  a  good 


object  devoutly  to  acknowledge  the  good 
hand  of  the  Lord  in  enabling  us  to  carry 
it  forward  to  completion,  and  to  implore 
his  benediction  upon  the  results.  We 
are  reminded  also  that  those  who  serve 
the  cause  of  religion  have  a  claim  to 
our  prayers,  even  as  if  they  were  our 
own  personal  benefactors  ;  for  that  cause 
we  are  bound  to  consider  as  our  own. 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XL. 


291 


CHAPTER  XL. 

AND  the  Lord  spake  unto  Mo- 
ses, saying, 

2  On  the  first  day  of  the  a  first 
month  shalt  thou  set  up  b  the  tab- 
ernacle of  the  tent  of  the  congre- 
gation. 

3  And  c  thou  shalt  put  therein 
the  ark  of  the  testimony,  and  cover 
the  ark  with  the  vail. 

4  And  d  thou  shalt  bring  in  the 
table,  and  e  set  in  order  the  things 
that  are  to  be  set  m  order  upon  it; 
f  and  thou  shalt  bring  in  the  candle- 
stick, and  light  the  lamps  thereof. 

5  gAnd  thou  shalt  set  the  altar 
of  gold  for  the  incense  before  the 
ark  of  the  testimony",  and  put  the 
hanging  of  the  door  to  the  taber- 
nacle. 

6  And  thou  shalt  set  the  altar  of 
the  burnt-offering  before  the  door 


ach.  12.2.  &.  13.  4.  b  ver.  17.  &  ch.  26.  1, 
30.  ever.  21.  ch.  26.  33.  Numb.  4.  5.  d  ver. 
22.  ch.  26.  35.  e  ver.  23.  ch.  25.  30,  Lev. 
24.5,6.     fver.  24.  25.     ?  ver.  26. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

The  Tabernacle  set  tip. 
2.  On  the  first  day  of  the  fifth  month 
thou  shalt  set  up  the  tabernacle.  From 
an  attentive  survey  of  all  the  incidents 
recorded  to  have  happened  after  the 
exodus  from  Egypt,  it  appears  that 
about  six  months  intervened  betu^een 
that  event  and  the  commencement  of 
the  work  of  the  tabernacle.  Conse- 
quently they  were  about  six  months 
employed  in  the  work  itself;  for  the 
tabernacle  was  set  up  at  the  beginning 
of  the  second  year,  or  one  year  lacking 
fifteen  days  after  they  had  left  Egypt. 
Considering  the  vast  amount  of  curious 
and  cosily  workmanship  that  was  re- 
quisite, the  undertaking  was  carried 
through  with  great  expedition.  But  the 
hearts  of  the  people  were  in  tliis  work, 
and  this  made  all  their  labor  light  ;  and 
the  union  of  men's  hands,  and  much 


of  the  tabernacle  of  the  tent  of  the 

congregation. 

7  And  h  thou  shalt  set  the  laver 
between  the  tent  of  the  congre- 
gation and  the  altar,  and  shalt  put 
water  therein. 

S  And  thou  shalt  set  up  the  court 
round  about,  and  hang  up  the 
hanging  at  the  court-gate. 

9  And  thou  shalt  take  the  anoint- 
ing oil,  and  i  anoint  the  tabernacle, 
and  all  that  is  therein,  and  shalt 
hallow  it,  and  all  the  vessels  there- 
of:  and  it  shall  be  holy. 

10  And  thou  shalt  anoint  the  al- 
tar of  the  burnt-offering,  and  all 
his  vessels,  and  sanctify  the  altar : 
and  k  it  shall  be  an  altar  most  holy. 

11  And  thou  shalt  anoint  the 
laver  and  his  foot,  and  sanctify  it. 

12  1  And  thou  shalt  bring  Aaron 
and  his  sons  unto  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  and 
wash  them  with  water. 

h  ver.  30.  ch.  30.  18.  'ch.  30.26.  ^ch. 
29.  36,  37.     1  Lev.  8.  1,-13. 

zeal  will  necessarily  bring  to  a  speedy 
accomplishment  any  work  that  is  under- 
taken. 

3.  And  cover  the  ark  icilh  the  vail. 
That  is,  bang  up  the  separating  vail  so 
as  to  hide  the  ark  from  the  public  view. 
For  this  reason  the  vail  is  called,  Num. 
4.  5, '  the  covering  vail.' 

9.  And  thou  shalt  take  the  anointing 
oil  and  anoint,  &c.  Every  thing  hav- 
ing been  duly  brought  and  disposed  in 
its  proper  place,  the  consecration  of  the 
whole  by  sacred  unction  follows.  la 
allusion  to  this  it  is  said,  Dan.  9,  24, 
'  Seventy  weeks  are  determined  upon 
thy  people  and  upon  thy  holy  city,  to 
finish  the  transgression,  and  to  make 
an  end  of  sins,  and  to  make  reconcilia- 
tion for  iniquity,  and  to  bring  in  ever- 
lasting righteousness,  and  to  seal  up  the 
vision  and  prophecy,  and  to  anoint  tht 
Most  Holy.''  The  '  most  holy'  here  is 
but   another   name  for   the   ChrUtian 


292 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


13  And  thou  shalt  put  upon  Aaron 
the  holy  garments,  m  and  anoint 
him,  and  sanctify  him;  that  he 
may  minister  unto  me  in  the 
priest's  office. 

14  And  thou  shalt  bring  his  sons, 
and  clothe  them  with  coats : 

15  And  thou  shalt  anoint  them, 
as  thou  didst  anoint  their  father, 
that  they  may  minister  unto  me 
in  the  priest's  office:  for  their 
anointing  shall  surely  be  an  «  ever- 
lasting priest-hood  throughout 
their  generations. 

16  Thus  did  Moses;  according  to 
all  that  the  Lord  commanded  him, 
so  did  he. 

17  H  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the 
first  month,  in  the  second  year,  on 
the  first  day  of  the  month,  that 
the  o  tabernacle  was  reared  up. 

18  And  Moses  reared  up  the  tab- 
ernacle, and  fastened  his  sockets, 
and  set  up  the  boards  thereof,  and 
put  in  the  bars  thereof,  and  reared 
up  his  pillars. 

19  And  he  spread  abroad  the  tent 
over  the  tabernacle,  and  put  the 
covermg  of  the  tent  above  upon  it ; 
as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses. 

20  H  And  he  took  and  put  p  the 
testimony  into  the  ark,  and  set  the 
staves  on  the  ark,  and  *put  the 
mercy-seat  above  upon  the  ark : 

21  And  he  brought  the  ark  into 
the  tabernacle,   and   qset  up  the 

m  ch.  28.  41.  n  Numb.  25. 13.  »  ver.  1. 
Numb.  7.  1.     Pch.  25.  16. 

Church  which  was  to  be  established  at 
the  end  of  the  seventy  weeks,  and  which 
was  anointed  at  its  setting  up  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  his  miraculous  effusion 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

15.  Their  anointing  shall  he  an  ever- 
lasting priesthood.  The  meaning  is, 
that  as  far  as  the  common  priests  were 
concerned,  the  efficacy  of  this  fust 
anointing  should  extend  to  the  whole 
future  line,  so  that  they  need  not  from 


vail  of  the  covering,  and  covered 
the  ark  of  the  testimony ;  as  the 
Lord  commanded  Moses. 

22  ^rAnd  he  put  the  table  in 
the  tent  of  the  congregation  upon 
the  side  of  the  tabernacle  north- 
ward, without  the  vail. 

23  s  And  he  set  the  bread  in  order 
upon  it  before  the  Lord  ;  as  the 
Lord  had  commanded  Moses. 

24  H  t  And  he  put  the  candlestick 
in  the  tent  of  the  congregation, 
over  against  the  table,  on  the  side 
of  the  tabernacle  southward. 

2b  And  u  he  lighted  the  lamps  be-  , 
fore  the  Lord,  as  the  Lord  com- 
manded Moses. 

26  H  y  And  he  put  the  golden  al- 
tar in  the  tent  of  the  congregation, 
before  the  vail : 

27  zAnd  he  burnt  sweet  incense 
thereon ;  as  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses. 

28  IT  ^  And  he  set  up  the  hanging 
at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle. 

29  1^  And  he  put  the  altar  of  burnt- 
offering  hy  the  door  of  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  tent  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  coflfered  upon  it  the 
burnt-offering,  and  the  meat-offer- 
ing ;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Mo- 
ses. 

30  ^  dAnd  he  set  the  laver  be 
tvveen  the  tent  of  the  congregation 

q  ch.  26.  33.  &  35.  12.     r  ch.  26.  .35.    s  ver. 

4.  tch.  26.  35.    uver.  4.  ch.  25.  37.    y  ver. 

5.  ch.  30.  6.  z  ch.  30.  7.  a  ver.  5.  ch.  26. 
36.  b  ver.  6.  <=  ch.  29.  38.  &c.  d  ver.  7. 
ck.  30.  18. 


one  generation  to  another  receive  suc- 
cessively the  consecrating  unction.  With 
the  High  Priest  the  case  was  different. 
As  he  was  elected,  it  was  fit  that  he 
should,  upon  entering  into  office,  be 
anointed  ;  but  in  regard  to  the  ordinary 
priests,  who  inherited  their  office  as 
their  birthright,  the  same  necessity  did 

not  exist. 

2Q.  And  he  put  the  golden  altar  in  th» 
tents  of  the  congregation.    Of  the  gen 


B.  C.  1491.J 


CHAPTER  XL. 


293 


and  the  altar,  and  put  water  there, 
to  wash  xmthal. 

31  And  Moses,  and  Aaron,  and 
his  sons,  washed  their  hands  and 
their  feet  thereat: 

32  Wlien  they  went  into  the  tent 
of  the  congregation,  and  when  they 
came   near  unto   the   altar,   they 


era!  aspect  of  the  interior  of  the  taber- 
nacle, when  all  its  furniture  was  proper- 


washed  ;  e  as  the  Lord  command- 
ed Moses. 

33  f  And  he  reared  up  the  court 
round  about  the  tabernacle  and  the 
altar,  and  set  up  the  hanging  of 
the  court-gate :  so  Moses  finished 
the  work. 

e  ch.  30.  19.    f  ver.  8.  ch.  27.  9. 16. 

ly  arranged,  a  tolerably  correct  idea  may 
be  formed  from  the  accompanying  cut. 


The  Interior  of  the  Tabernacle. 


33.  And  he  reared  up  the  court  round  I  to  present  to  the  eye  the  general  ap- 
ahout  the  tabernacle,  &c.     As  all  the    pearance   of  the  tabernacle  with  the 
particulars  have  been  formerly  explain-  |  court,  altar,  and  laver;  the  whole  sur- 
ed,  nothing  more  is  here  necessary  than  j  mounted  by  the  pillar  of  cloud. 
25« 


294 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


34  IT  gThen  a  cloud  covered  the  ]  tent  of  the  congregation,  and  the 
&ch.  29.  43.   Lev.  16.  2.    Numb.  9.  15.    glory  of  the  LoRD  filled  the  taber- 

1  Kings   8.  10,  11.    2  Chron.  5.  13.  &  7.2.  l  nacle. 
Isai.  b.  4.    Hag.   2.7,9.    Kev.  15.  8. 


The  Tabernacle  awd  Cou»t. 


34.  Then  «  cloud  covered  the  tent  of 
the  congregation.  Rather  according  to 
the  Hebrew  literally  translated,  '  the 
cloud'  C^Dyn  heanan)  that  is.  the  cloudy 
pillar,  or  cloud  of  the  Shekinah,  which 
had  previously  abode  for  many  weeks 
on  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and 
which  had  subsequently  descended  up- 
on Moses'  tent  and  stood  before  the  door 
of  it,  as  mentioned,  ch.  33.  9.  This 
sublime  cloud  now  removed  from  its 
former  station  and  stood  at  first  not 
only  over,  but  around  the  tabernacle, 
completely  covering  or  enwrapping  it 
in  its  sombre  folds  while  inner  unseen 
Glory,  after  first  filling  the  outer  room, 
entered  and  took  its  station  in  the  Most 

Holy  Place  between  the  Cherubim. 

IT  The  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tab- 
trnacle.    That  is,  the  visible  sign  or 


symbol  of  the  Lord's  glorious  presence 
'By  this  Glory  was  signified,'  saysMai- 
monides  '  a  certain  created  splendor 
which  God  caused  miraculously  to  dwell 
any  where  for  the  purpose  of  manifest- 
ing forth  his  majesty.'  Abrabanel  on 
this  passage  speaks  still  more  distinct- 
ly j  'Behold,  it  is  clear  that  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord  was  not  a  cloud,  but  some- 
thing in  respect  to  light  and  splendor 
like  unto  fire.  A  cloud,  however,  was 
round  about  it,  as  smoke  is  always 
about  a  fire  j  and  as  burning  lamps  (or 
lightnings)  appear  from  the  midst  of 
clouds,  so  was  the  Glory  of  the  Lord 
like  to  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  cloud 
and  the  darkness.'  In  this  august  man- 
ner God  took  formal  possession  of  the 
house  which  had  been  prepared  for  his 
residence.    All  things  having  been  duly 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTER  XL. 


295 


made  ready,  the  great  and  glorious  Oc- 
cupant now  makes  a  solemn  entry  into 
the  habitation  in  which  he  had  promised 
to  dwell,  and  of  which  he  now  virtually 
says,  'This  is  the  place  of  my  throne, 
and  the  place  of  the  soles  of  my  feet, 
where  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  the 
children  of  Israel  for  ever.'    By  this  act 
Jehovah  not  only  testified  the  restora- 
tion of  his  forfeited  favor  to  the  people, 
and  his  gracious  acceptsuice  of  their 
services,    but    also    gave    typically    a 
pledge   of  the   future   tabernacling    of 
Christ,   the  true  Shekinah,  in    human 
flesh,  and  of  an  ulterior  visible  mani- 
festation of  the  divine  glory  in  the  lat- 
ter days  on  the  earth.  This  latter  great 
event  is  distinctly  foreshown  in  the  fol- 
lowing passages   in    language   bearing 
evident  allusion   to  that  of  Moses  in 
the  narrative  before  us  ;  Ezek.  43,  4,  5, 
'And  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  came  into 
the  house  by  the  way  of  the  gate  whose 
prospect  is  toward  the   east. — So  the 
Spirit  took  me  up  and  brought  me  into 
the  inner  court ;  and  behold  the  Glory 
of  the   Lord  filled  the  house.'     John 
also  in  the  Revelation,  chap.  21. 10,11, 
alluding  to  the  same  illustrious  period 
of  the  church,  says,  'And  he  carried  me 
in  the  spirit  to  a  great  and  high  moun- 
tain, and  showed  me  that  great  city, 
the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of 
heaven  from  God ;  having  the  Glory  of 
God.''     For  ourselves  we  think  it  de- 
serving of  the  most  serious  and  pro- 
found enquiry,  whether  this  '  glory  to 
be  revealed'  be  not  a  another  term  for 
the  whole  heavenly  world  composed  of 
the  glorified  spiritual  bodies'  of  Christ 
and  his  saints,  together  with  his  holy 
angels,  coming  down  to  enter  into  a 
new  and   abiding  connexion  with   the 
church  on  earth  in  its  latter-day  pros- 
perity. To  what  else  can  it  refer?   Our 
Savior  expressly  assured  his  disciples 
that  '  hereafter  they  should  see  heaven 
opened,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascend- 
ing and  descending,  upon  the  Son  of 
Man.'    Equally  explicit  is  the  declara- 


tion of  John  m  the  Apocalypse,  ch.  21. 
3,  '  And   I   heard   a  great  voice   from 
heaven  saying.  Behold,  the  tabernacle 
of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  shall  dwell 
with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  peo- 
ple ;   and   God  himself  shall   be   v;ith 
them,  and  shall  be  their  God.'     As  the 
glory  of  the  Shekinah  came  in  all  its 
effulgence  and  took  possession  of  the 
tabernacle  when  it  was  prepared  for  its 
reception,  so  when  the   earth,  by  the 
previous  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  and 
the  universal    diflfusion  and  establish- 
ment of  the  gospel  shall  have  become 
fitted  for  the  divine  inhabitation,  are 
we  not  taught  to  expect  that  the  glori- 
fied Savior  and  the  glorified  saved — the 
substance  of  the  resplendent  Cloud  and 
the  shining  Cherubim  of  the  most  holy 
place — shall  come  and  fix  themselves 
in    permanent  sojourn    in  the  temple 
thus  prepared  for  them  ?    Not  that  we 
are  to  understand  this  as  implying  that 
the  glorified  saints  will  ever  be  pro- 
miscuously mingled  together  with  the 
tenants  of  earth,  the  dwellers  in  houses 
of  clay  and  houses  of  wood  or  stone, 
but  simply  that  there  will  be  a  visible 
communication  and  an  intimate  relation 
between  these  two  great  departments  of 
the  Lord's  family.    We  have  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  spiritual  bodies  will 
ever  inhabit  material  tenements  on  the 
earth,  but  as  there  was  at  the  birth  of 
Christ  a  sudden  and  glorious  manifesta- 
tion of  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host 
in  the  air,   so  we  are  perhaps   taught 
that  a  similar  developement  of  the  in- 
visible world  will  be  made  and  become 
permanent  in  the  latter  day,  abiding  in 
immediate  proximity  to  our  globe,  and 
thus  giving  its  ultimate  fulfilment  to 
the  dream  of  Jacob  of  an  angelic  inter- 
course between  heaven  and  earth.    In 
this  state  of  things,  the  separating  veil 
between  the  holy  and  the  most  place, 
will  be  done  away.    The  cherubim  will 
be  '  living  creatures'  and  pass  freely  out 
into  the  outer  room.     Sure  we  are,  that 
if  tliese  predictions  do  not  announce  the 


296 


EXODUS. 


[B.  C.  1491. 


35  And  Moses  ^  was  not  able  to 
enter  into  the  tent  of  the  congre- 

tLev.  16.  2.  1  Kings  8.  11.  2  Chron.  14.  5. 

subUme  event  now  suggested,  as  they 
plainly  point  to  some  fulfilment  of  stu- 
pendous character,  it  behoves  the  in- 
terpreters of  the  oracles  of  God  to  in- 
form an  inquiring  world  what  they  do 
mean.  It  is  impossible  to  be  faithful 
to  the  entrusted  truth  of  heaven,  and 
permit  its  most  sublime  revelations  to 
lie  shrouded  in  obscurity  under  the  idle 
plea  that  they  are  a  part  of  prophecy, 
and  that  prophecy  was  not  designed  to 
be  understood  till  it  is  accomplished. 
Not  indeed  that  we  would  maintain 
that  prophecy  can  be  equally  well  un- 
derstood before  and  after  its  accom- 
plishment, but  if  it  be  unintelligible, 
why  are  we  exhorted  to  study  it  ?  The 
truth  is,  the  prophecies  touch  the  very 
vital  doctrines  of  Christian!  ty.  lis  grand 
sanctions — its  promises  of  bliss  and  its 
threatenings  of  woe — the  judgment,  the 
resurrection,  and  the  New  Jerusalem — 
are  inseparably  interwoven  with  the  ful- 
filment of  the  great  chain  of  scriptural 
prophecy ;  and  we  doubt  not  the  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  the  interests  of 
truth  will  imperiously  demand  that  the 
mysteries  of  the  Apocalypse  shall  be 
unfolded. 

35.  And  Moses  was  not  able  to  enter 
into  the  tent  of  the  congregation,  &c. 
The  glory  of  the  Shekinah  shone  so 
bright  and  dazzling,  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely insufferable  to  the  sight.  Indeed, 
as  the  phenomenon  was  in  effect  the 
same  with  that  which  appeared  on  the 
summit  of  Sinai,  and  of  which  it  is  said, 
Ex.  24.  16,  that  the  part  of  it  covered 
by  the  cloud,  when  partially  exposed 
to  view,  was  like  unto  '  devouring  fire,' 
the  tabernacle  could  not  now  be  entered 
for  the  same  reason  that  the  cloud  could 
not  then  have  been  entered,  even  by 
Moses,  without  a  special  summons  to 
that  effect  from  Jehovah  himself  Pre- 
cisely the  same  thing  happened  at  the 


gation,  because  the  cloud  abode 
thereon,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
filled  the  tabernacle. 

dedication  of  the  temple  of  Solomon, 
when,  we  are  told,  1  Kings,  8.  10,  11, 
'The  cloud  filled  the  house  of  the  Lord  ; 
so  that  the  priests  could  not  stand  to 
minister  because  of  the  cloud,  for  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  had  filled  the  house 
of  the  Lord.'  A  palpable  allusion  to 
this  incident  is  also  to  be  recognised  in 
Rev.  15.  7,  8,  although  the  meaning  of 
the  prophecy  is  too  profound  to  be 
hastily  decided  upon  ;  'And  one  of  the 
four  beasts  gave  unto  the  seven  angels 
seven  golden  vials  full  of  the  wrath  of 
God,  who  livelh  for  ever  and  ever. 
And  the  temple  was  filled  with  smoke 
from  the  glory  of  God,  and  from  his 
power ;  and  no  man  was  able  to  enter 
into  the  temple,  till  the  seven  plagues 
of  the  seven  angels  were  fulfilled.' 
Moses  was  obliged  to  wait  till  the  over- 
whelming brightness  had  somewhat 
abated,  and  the  Glory  had  retired  with- 
in the  veil.  That  these  circumstances 
were  designed  to  point  forward  to  some 
grand  accomplishment  of  far  more  illus- 
trious character,  in  the  state  described 
in  the  closing  chapters  of  Ezekiel  and 
John,  when  the  divine  Glory  shall  again 
take  up  its  abode  on  earth,  we  have  no 
doubt.  But  as  the  precise  manner  of 
its  ultimate  fulfilment  appears  to  be 
hidden  by  a  veil  at  present  inscrutablCj 
we  are  thrown  upon  a  moral  improve- 
ment of  the  occurrence,  upon  which  no 
mystery  rests.  It  affords  another  in- 
timation how  awful  and  terrible  is  the 
majesty  of  Jehovah  when  he  is  pleased 
to  reveal  himself  to  human  eyes.  How 
impossible  it  was  for  Moses  to  behold 
it  without  a  screen,  we  have  already  had 
occasion  to  notice.  The  greatest  and 
the  best  of  men  are  utterly  unable  to 
stand  before  it.  'Our  God  is  a  consum- 
ing fire.'  How  thankful  then  are  we 
called  to  be,  that  we  may  contemplate 
the  softened  glories  of  the  Godhead  in 


B.  C.  1491.] 


CHAPTED  XL. 


297 


36  iAnd  when  the  cloud  was 
taken  up  from  over  the  tabernacle, 
the  children  of  Israel  went  onward 
in  all  their  journeys : 

37  But  k  if  the  cloud  were  not 


iNumb.  9.  17.  &   10.  11.      Neh.  9.  19. 
k  Numb.  9.  19,-22. 


Jesus  Christ,  who  has  drawn  nigh  and 
entered  as  our  forerunner  into  the  holy 
place  not  made  with  hands,  that  we 
might  in  due  lime  be  admitted  to  a  par- 
ticipation of  the  same  honor  and  joy. 

36,  37.  And  when  the  cloud  was  taken 
upj  &c.  Thus  the  cloud  was  a  guide  to 
the  camp  of  Israel  in  their  march 
through  the  wilderness.  While  the  cloud 
remained  upon  or  over  the  tabernacle, 
they  rested  abiding  in  their  tents  ;  when 
it  removed,  they  removed  and  followed 
their  aerial  conductor.  This  is  more 
fully  detailed  Num.  9.  15—23,  and  long 
afterwards  mentioned  with  grateful  re- 
membrance by  the  Psalmist,  Ps.  78.  14, 
— 105.  39 ;  and  Nehemiah  notices  its 
continuance  as  an  extraordinary  mercy 
notwithstanding  their  great  provocation 
in  the  matt'r  of  the  golden  calf;  ch.  9. 
19,  'Yet  thou  in  thy  manifold  mercies 
forsookest  them  not  in  the  wilderness  ; 
the  pillai;  of  cloud  departed  not  from 
them  by  day,  to  lead  them  in  the  way  ; 
neither  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,  to 
show  them  light  and  the  way  wherein 
they  should  go.' 

38.  For  the  cloud  of  the  Lord  was 
upon  the  tabernacle,  by  day,  &c.  Chal. 
and  Targ.  Jon.  'The  cloud  of  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord.'  Targ.  Jerus.  'The  cloud 
of  the  Glory  of  the  Shekinah  of  the 
Lord.'  That  same  mysterious  cloud 
which  had  led  them  up  from  Egypt, 
and  which  had  all  along  been  pregnant 
with  wonders,  now  settled  upon  the  tab- 
ernacle and  hovered  over  it,  even  in  the 
hottest  and  clearest  day  ;  for  this  was 
not  a  cloud  of  which  it  could  be  said 
that  the  sun  'wearieth  the  thick  cloud  ; 
lU  scattereth  the  bright  cloud.'    It  was 


taktMi  up,  then  they  journeyed  not 
till  the  day  that  it  was  taken  up. 
38  For  Uhe  cloud  of  the  Lord 
was  upon  the  tabernacle  by  day, 
and  fire  was  on  it  by  night,  in  the 
sight  of  all  the  house  of  Israel, 
throughout  all  their  journeys. 

Ich.  13.  21.    Numb.  9.  15. 


a  cloud  that  served  as  a  remarkable  to- 
ken of  the  Divine  Presence,  constantly 
visible  day  and  night  to  all  Israel,  and 
to  those  who  were  situated  in  the  re- 
motest corners  of  the  camp,  so  that 
they  could  never  have  occasion  to  pro- 
pose the  question,  'Is  the  Lord  among 
us,  or  is  he  not  V  They  could  not  doubt 
it,  unless  they  could  doubt  the  evidence 

of  their  own  senses. IT  And  fire  was 

on  it  by  night  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
house  of  Israel,  &c.  The  fire  and  the 
cloud  were  not,  as  we  have  before  re- 
marked, two  different  and  distinct 
things.  It  was  one  and  the  same  pillar 
which  was  a  dark  cloud  by  day  and  a 
shining  fire  by  night.  Indeed,  as  the 
original  for  '  on  it '  is  m  bo,  in  it,  it  is 
contended  by  Fagius  and  others  that 
the  true  meaning  is,  that  the  fire  was  in 
the  cloud  by  night,  i.  e.  that  the  cloud 
was  the  seat  of  it,  that  it  did  not  ema- 
nate from  any  source  different  from  the 
cloud  ;  not  that  the  fire  was  so  invel- 
oped  in  the  cloud  as  to  be  invisible,  for 
on  that  supposition,  the  fire  was  in  it 
by  day  as  well  as  by  night.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  the  term  'fire'  is  to  be  under- 
stood merely  of  a  phosphorescent  glow 
which  the  exterior  of  the  cloud  was 
made  to  assume  at  night,  and  thus  to 
be  viewed  as  entirely  distinct  from  the 
inner  enwrapped  glory,  which  Moses  so 
ardently  desired  to  see.  These  are 
particulars  in  respect  to  the  cloud  which 
it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  determine  ; 
but  the  general  image  can  easily  be 
brought  before  the  mind,  and  we  can 
see  at  once  how  express  is  the  allusion 
to  this  incident  m  the  words  of  the 
prophet,  lii.  4.  5,  'And  the  Lord  will 


298 


EXODUS. 


[B.  a  1491. 


create    upon   every  dwelling-place    of 
Mount  Zion,  and  upon  her  assemblies,  ' 
a  cloud  and  smoke   by  day,  and  the 
shining  of  a  flaming  fire  by  night ;  for  ; 
upon  all  the  glory  shall  be  a  defence.' 
The   dwelling-places   of  Mount    Zion 
here  spoken  of  are  doubtless  Christian 
churches,  and  the  intimation  seems  to 
be,  that  in  the  times  of  the  gospel  each  ! 
individual  church,  or  congregation  of; 
believers,  should  be  as  complete  in  it- 
self in  its  endowments,  and  preroga-  ! 
tives  5  that  it  shall  be  as  truly  dislin-  ' 
guished  by  the  tokens  of  the  Divine 
presence,  guidance,  and  guardianship, 
as  was  the  one  congregation  of  Israel 
with  its  one  tabernacle,  surmounted  by  : 
the  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire.    The 
Jewish  nation  formed  but  one  church, 
having  its  unity  concentrated  in  one  ; 
place  and  one  system  of  worship.    As  \ 
such  it  was  not  so  properly  a  type  of , 
the  whole  collective  body  of  Christian  i 
churches,  nor  of  any  one  great  sectarian 
division  of  the  church,  as  of  each  par- 
ticular single  church,   duly  organized  ! 
and  furnished.    All  such  churches  the  \ 
Scriptures  represent  as  complete  and  : 
independent  in  themselves,  and  subject ! 
to  no  jurisdiction  save   that  of  Christ  [ 
administered  by  his  word,  spirit,  and  ; 
officers.  I 

IT  Throughout  all  their  journeys. 

This  circumstance  is  so  prominent  in  j 
the  history  of  the  wanderings  of  Israel, 
and  so  replete  with  interest  in  itself,  that 
we  know  not  how  to  forbear  enlarging 
somewhat  more  at  length  upon  it. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  impres- 
sion produced  by  it  upon  the  minds  of 
those  to  whose  senses  it  was  present, 
it  soars  majestically  before  our  minds 
as  a  threefold  token  of  the  divine  pre- 
sence, protection,  and  guidance.  In 
this  sublime  symbol  the  journeying 
host  could  but  feel  that  God  was  always 
nigh  them,  resting  with  them  when  ihey 
rested,  and  moving  with  them  when 
they  moved.  Never  could  they  cast  their 
eyes  upon  that  towering  pillar,  ever 


dark  by  day  and  bright  by  night,  al- 
ways maintaining  its  position,  and  not, 
like  other  clouds,  changing,  breaking, 
and  dissipating  into  the  surrounding  air ; 
never,  we  say,  could  they  look  upon 
this  august  object  without  being  re- 
minded that  '  a  God  at  hand,  and  not 
afar  off",  was  the  Lord  in  his  holy  habi- 
tation.' But  not  only  so  ;  it  was  a  source 
of  protection.  It  shaded  them,  as  a 
pleasant  pavilion,  from  the  rays  of  the 
noon-tide  sun,  and  under  its  canopy  they 
could  rest  as  under  the  shadow  of  a 
great  rock  in  a  weary  land.  Nor  less  did 
it  serve  as  a  defence  from  their  enemies, 
than  as  a  shade  from  the  beams  of  the 
sultry  sun.  Its  descending  and  inter- 
posing folds  placed  a  wall  of  adamant 
between  them  and  their  Egyptian  pur- 
suers, beyond  which  they  could  no  more 
penetrate  than  they  could  have  broken 
through  the  granite  barri(?rs  of  Sinai 
and  Horeb.  But  last,  though  not  least, 
they  had  in  the  cloudy  pillar  a  constant 
guide  and  director.  It  conducted  them 
in  all  their  movements,  and  indicated 
to  them  all  their  rests.  They  rose  up 
and  journeyed  whenever  it  began  to 
move ;  they  stopped  at  f\e  moment 
when  it  became  stationary.  When  it 
rose  they  knew  not  whither  it  would  go, 
but  it  led  them  constantly  in  the  right 
way ;  and  they  had  no  inquiries  to 
make,  no  doubts  or  fears  to  cherish, 
nothing  to  do  but  to  yield  themselves 
implicitly  to  its  guidance.  What  a 
w^ondrous  mercy  to  be  thus  conducted 
in  all  their  way  !  Travellers,  especially 
in  desert  and  inhospitable  climes,  like 
that  which  now  lay  before  the  children 
of  Israel,  are  prone  to  be  concerned 
about  their  route  and  about  their  safety. 
They  lie  down  at  night  with  planted 
guards  around  them,  and  look  with  fear- 
ful solicitude  to  the  events  of  the  com- 
ing day,  lest  percliance  theyghould  lose 
their  way,  or  their  water  become  ex- 
hausted, or  their  strength  fail.  But  no 
misgivings  of  this  nature  could  trouble 
the  peace  of  the  favored  hosts  of  Israel. 


B.  C.  1491.1 


CHAPTER  XL. 


209 


They  could  lay  them  down  to  rest  with- 
out any  care  how  far  or  whither  they 
should  go  on  the  morrow,  or  whether 
they  should  move  at  all.    No  anxiety  as 
to  food  or  drink  could  afflict  their  minds, 
for  without  any  care  or  thought  of  theirs, 
'their  bread  would  be  given  and  their 
water  would  be  sure,'  and  if  they  jour- 
neyed, an  unerring  guide  would  mark 
out  their  place  of  rest.    'Happy,  thrice 
happy,  ye  highly  favored  of  heaven  ." 
we  are  prone  to  exclaim  in  view  of  this 
distinguished  lot  of  the  chosen  tribes. 
Thrown  often  ourselves  into  the  great- 
est perplexity  as  to  the  decisions  we 
shall  make,  and  the  conduct  we  shall 
pursue  in  life,  we  naturally  feel  how 
great  would   be   the  blessing  of  being 
ever  thus  sensibly  directed  by  the  Lord. 
But  let  us  not   disparage  our  own 
privileges  compared  with  those  of  the 
seed  of  Jacob.  As  to  Ihc  presence  of  Je- 
hovah with  us,  encompassing  our  ways, 
we  are  not  left  destitute  of  that.     If  we 
have  not  the  Shekinah  in  shadow  we 
have  it  in  substance,  in  him  who  is  'the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and 
the  express  image  of  his  person.'    His 
tabernacling  has  already,  in  one  sense, 
been  with  men  in  human  flesh,  and  he 
is  the  proper  object  to  bring  before  our 
thoughts,  whenever  we  would  have  an 
equivalent  for  the  visible  symbol  of  Je- 
hovah.   In  him  the  promise  is,  'I  will 
dwell  in  (among)   them,  and  walk  in 
(among)  them,  and  they  shall  be  my 
people.'    '  I  will  never  leave  you  nor 
forsake  you.'  By  his  spirit  he  is  present 
with  his  whole  church  and  with  every  in- 
dividual member  of  it.  By  that  Spirit  he 
will  abide  with  them  for  ever,  cheering 
their  hearts  and  renewing  their  strength 
by  the  light  of  his  countenance. 
Do  we  desire  protection  as  real  and 


as  effectual  as  that  which  spread  its 
panoply  over  the  chosen  race  ?  The 
consoling  strain  in  which,  if  his,  we  are 
assured  of  it,  is  uttered  in  the  language 
of  the  Psalmist,  'The  Lord  is  thy  keep- 
er :  the  Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy 
right  hand.  The  sun  shall  not  smite 
thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night. 
The  Lord  shall  preserve  thee  from  all 
evil:  he  shall  preserve  thy  soul.  The 
Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going  out  and 
thy  coming  in  from  this  time  forth,  and 
even  for  ever  more.' 

Finally,  do  we  desire  guidance,  an 
infallible  light  to  direct  us  in  all  the 
mazes  and  perplexities  of  our  path-— 
something  which  shall  stand  to  us  in- 
stead of  the  luminous  pillar  that,  in  the 
dark  night  poured  its  splendors  upon 
the  shifting  sands  and  the  rocky  rough- 
nesses of  the  Arabian  desert  ?  Doubt- 
less, secret  intimations  of  Providence 
are  sometimes  given  to  this  end,  es- 
pecially if  sought  in  earnest  prayer  and 
humble  watchfulness.  But  however  this 
may  be,  we  have  a  more  sure  directory 
of  duty.  The  Bible  is  our  pillar  of 
cloud  and  of  fire.  Let  us  look  to  the 
pages  of  that  inspired  word  which  is  a 
light  to  cur  feet,  and  a  lamp  to  our 
path,'  and  we  shall  cease  to  desiderate 
the  guiding  glory  which  aided  only  the 
outward  eye,  and  directed  only  a  local 
sojourn.  We  have  all  and  abound.  We 
have  the  oracles  of  truth  and  life  ;  we 
have  the  proffer  of  the  illuminating 
Spirit ;  we  have  the  promise  of  a  better 
Canaan  than  that  which  smiled  beyond 
Jordan  ;  and  if  we  can  sincerely  say 
with  the  Psalmist,  in  respect  to  the  di- 
vine  leading  on  earth,  'Thou  shalt  guide 
me  with  thy  counsel,'  we  may  confi- 
dently add  the  supplementary  clause, 
'And  afterward  receive  me  to  glory.' 


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